For the past four decades we have been living in northern Chiba Prefecture, in the Hokuso area around Imba and Tega Marsh and just south of the Tone River. Our home is in Chiba New Town, a typical sprawling suburban residential and industrial complex developed in the 1980s. The area is very conveniently served by …
Read more “Rambling in Japan’s Satoyama Countryside (English) READ THIS FIRST!”
Most grasshoppers first appear as tiny larvae in late spring to early summer. For several months, these larvae, known as ‘hoppers’, do nothing but eat, grow and molt. In autumn the final-stage larvae metamorphose into adults and kick off the mating season. Females deposit their eggs in the soil, where they remain until the following …
Around this time of year, homecoming festivals are being held at colleges all around the US. Some Japanese universities have picked up this fine autumn custom as well. And for a naturalist walking and cycling around the satoyama countryside, there is yet another sort of happy homecoming to be enjoyed. One dependable autumn ‘homecomer’ is …
Read more “October 12 Countryside Homecoming Festival 里山の秋の同窓会”
In the traditional Asian almanac, August 7th marked the Risshu, or official Start of Autumn. this date may seem totally out of sync with the actual seasons; what with daytime temperatures still soaring into the mid-30s; but the late afternoon and early evening breezes blow stronger and cooler daily. The sun rises about 5 minutes …
Read more “August 13 Grasshoppers, Dragonflies and Ancentral Spirits”
In the Japanese traditional koyomi almanac, the tsuyuiri, or start of the rainy season, is set at June 10th. The actual date, however, varies annually and by region. The weather front that brings the rains, known as the baiu-zensen, moves steadily up from the southwest. For the Kanto-Koshin Region (Kanto plus Yamanashi and Nagano prefecture), …
During the past several decades I have written uncountable newspaper and magazine essays about Japanese nature and culture, in both Japanese and English. One golden rule relentlessly drummed into my head by editors is the need to spotlight food culture when writing for a Japanese audience. This has always posed a challenge for me. Growing …
A long-awaited sunny day in a stretch of warm but cloudy weather. In the traditional Asian almanac, these are the last days when farmers have to worry about damaging nighttime frosts. For a satoyama naturalist, it’s time to pull the trusty insect nets out from the back of the closet. Foldable nets with telescoping poles …
These past few days have been warm with strong westerlies, seasonal trade winds that carry fine-particled yellow sand all the way from the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts to Japan. At this time of year TV weather reports include satellite images showing the disribution of the yellow-sand clouds. Amazingly, people around here are still enjoying cherry …
Another warm day. I get an early start, planning an ambitious ride down the Shinkawa River bike path to Tokyo Bay to look for migratory sandpipers and plovers on the flats. Nice idea, but not even close. I find myself pedaling furiously into a powerful wind from the south and southwest. I’m only doing 8~9 …
A warm weekend with daytime highs over 20 degrees. The Somei-Yoshino cherry blossoms are still hanging in there, but the air around them and the ground beneath them are filled with fallen petals. Families are out on the grass in the park, eating the last sakura-mochi sweet bean rice cakes of the season, and enjoying what …