How was New Year's Day?
Did any trouble happen to your computer caused by Y2K problem?
Fortunately my computer had no trouble.

On the first day of the year which is called "ganjitsu", I got up before dawn and went out to see the rise of sun. It was cloudy but I could see the sunrise among the clouds for some time.

And yesterday, January the 17th was the day when the disastrous strong earthquake shook Kobe and many people lost their lives. A lot of people including me must have prayed for the dead.

Now this month we read about "setsubun" from "Japan - an illustrated Encyclopedia"(Kodansha).

"Setsubun
Traditional ceremony to dispel demons, now observed on 3 or 4 February. The practice of scattering beans(mamemaki) to drive away demons is one of a number of magical rites performed to ward off evil.
The term "setsubun" originally referred to the eve of the first day of any of the 24 divisions of the solar year known as "setsu". Later it came to be applied more specifically to the last day of the "setsu" called "daikan"(great cold), which corresponded to the eve of "Risshun"(the first day of spring), the New Year's Day of the ancient solar calendar and the traditional beginning of spring.
On "Setsubun", beans (usually soybeans) are scattered inside and outside the house or building to the common chant of "oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi"(Out with demons! In with good luck!). It is customary for family members to eat the same number of beans as their age."

It has been warm here in Shikoku but the day after tomorrow(Jan.21st) is "daikan(great cold)" and anyway spring will come in two weeks according to the old calendar. "Setsubun" is Feb.3rd and "Risshun" is Feb.4th this year.

Then, see you next month!

Yesterday (11th of Feb.) was a national holiday, Kenkoku Kinen no Hi or National Foundation Day, when the legendary first emperor JIMMU was said to have ascended the throne in 660 BC, though there has been an argument as to the validity of the dating.

And the other day a friend of mine who is a Buddhist priest sent me a beautiful photo of plum blossoms, so today we'll read about "plum Japanese" from "Japan - an illustrated Encyclopedia"(Kodansha).

"plum, Japanese (ume). Prunus mume.
Also known as Japanese apricot. Deciduous tree of the family Rosaceae, grown as a garden and orchard plant in Japan and bearing deep and varied associations with traditional Japanese culture. Its fruits are smaller and less sweet than those of European plums(sumomo) or European apricots(anzu).
The ume reaches a height of about 6 meters(20ft). The five-petaled blossoms appear in early spring before the leaves and give off a distinctive fragrance. Unripened, the fruit is used to make wine, vinegar, and pickled plums(UMEBOSHI).
The original home of the ume was China. From reference in the 8th-century poetry collection, the MAN'YOSHU, its arrival in Japan can be placed before or during the Nara period(710-794), when it became a favorite theme in Japanese court poetry(WAKA). The first plants imported from China had single white blossoms(hakubai), but during the Heian period(794-1185) a red-blossomed variety(kobai) made its appearance.
It was during the Edo period that the combined decorative motif known as SHOCHIKUBAI(pine,bamboo,plum) came into use in Japan for the celebration of auspicious occasions."

According to the weather forecast, the blossoming time of plum is earlier than usual this year. I wonder if this is also due to the greenhouse effect.

Ume ichirin ichirin hodo no atatakasa.

This is a famous haiku by Ransetsu, which means that a plum blossom comes out in cold weather and that I can feel a sign of spring or the warmth in spring only a little from it.

Then, see you next time in March!