14–18 February
Beginning of spring (Risshun, 立春)
Fish emerge from the ice (Uo kōri o izuru, 魚上氷)
This is not a season to be trusted. You pull back the curtains to clear skies, but check the forecast and there’s treachery afoot: rain, wind, squally nonsense set to ruin your afternoon.
According to the Japanese calendar, fish emerge from the ice, then duck back down again sharpish if they’ve got any sense.
What I’d like is a proper cold spell. Frost and ice and maybe snow. But instead we get unsettling wind and spirit-sapping rain. February, the shortest and ...
There are approximately 269 more words in this article.
To read the rest of this article, please buy this issue, or join the Resurgence Trust. As a member you will receive access to the complete archive of magazines from May 1966.
If you are already a member, please Sign in
