Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
August 22, 2020 at 12:35 JST
It’s so hot that I hesitate to use the Japanese word “zansho” (lingering summer heat). This makes me even more eager to find any hint of autumn.
The other day, I noticed red dragonflies at a park. In rice paddies, ears of rice have begun to sag although they are still green. The chirping of cicadas, which until recently seemed to be at maximum volume, appears to have come down a few notches.
Such observations heighten my appreciation of haiku poems about the transition from summer to autumn.
A piece by Suiha Watanabe (1882-1946) goes to the effect, “A whiff of autumn wind/ Ruffles the smoke of a mosquito coil.”
It takes me back to the time when I could smell the mosquito-repellent incense anywhere.
I wonder what makes it so delightful to suddenly notice that the air has become cooler.
The Japanese expression “shinryo,” which translates literally as “new coolness,” denotes the first cool spell of autumn.
Here’s a haiku by Masajo Suzuki (1906-2003): “It's shinryo/ Salt is sprinkled all over the fish for grilling/ Including its tail.”
The cool air of autumn restores our appetite. But the haul of “sanma” (saury) is said to be poor again this year, and I wonder when the first fish of the season will grace my dinner table this autumn.
In the meantime, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown society’s sense of the seasons out of kilter.
Many elementary schools have started the autumn term to make up for all the lost school days. With no fireworks displays or summer festivals this year, I imagine some schoolchildren had trouble finding what to write about in their homework “enikki” (illustrated diary).
Many known strains of coronavirus are said not to thrive in summer’s high temperature and humidity. I was hoping this would also apply to the novel coronavirus that is causing COVID-19.
But this latest variety is apparently not season sensitive. I suppose our “relationship,” which began in spring and continued in summer, will likely run into autumn.
According to “Saijiki,” a glossary of seasonal words used in haiku, the word “hatsuaki” denotes August after “risshu” (the first day of autumn), which usually falls around Aug. 7.
I can feel our collective yearning for the arrival of autumn from the kanji characters in which this word is written.
Even though we can’t expect relief from this lingering heat anytime soon, I dearly hope that the day's highest temperature will at least stay within the low 30-degree range and it won't rise to a sweltering 35 degrees or above.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 22
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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Visitors seek relief from the heat inside the Senbutsu Limestone Cave in Kita-Kyushu, where the temperature hovers at around 16 degrees throughout the year. (The Asahi Shimbun)
