Photo/Illutration A Japanese white-eye sucks nectar from plum blossoms in Tosa-Shimizu, Kochi Prefecture, on Feb. 4. (Masatoshi Kasahara)

With the approach of spring, we start regaining the hours of early morning and late afternoon that were absent during winter.

It is no longer pitch dark when we arise, and the sky is still light around 5 p.m.

Although the wind remains chilly and we hear news of snow from many parts of the nation, the days are definitely getting longer.

As night eases off gradually, day becomes more assertive.

The transition must have an enormous emotional impact on people living in the Arctic Circle, where the sun never rises during winter.

I realized this from “Kyokuya-ko” (Polar night travelogue), a book by explorer Yusuke Kakuhata, who traveled solo in Greenland.

Living through the polar night of endless darkness was like being stuck in a world ruled by a “huge black beast,” he noted.

But when it finally nears the end, it’s time for a “huge beast of light” to get ready.

Even though the sun has yet to show its face, the horizon becomes suffused with pale light, which grows stronger every day.

“It was as if the two colossal beasts--of darkness and light--were wrestling on the celestial stage,” Kakuhata wrote.

Even though nothing in Japan can match the dynamism of an Arctic transition, I at least hope to fully appreciate the growing sphere of light toward spring.

A haiku by Riki Asazuma goes to the effect: “A child kicking a ball/ Another twirling a rope/ The days are getting longer.”

Recalling my own childhood, it was the length of daylight hours that determined how late I could stay out to play, not what the clock said.

The arrival of spring, followed by the transition into early summer, meant I had more time to play tag and the “menko” card game.

Kids today must feel the same way, although they may amuse themselves in different ways.

Cold days continue, but ume (Japanese plum) blossoms are coming slowly but surely every day, as if in synch with the lengthening daylight hours.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 15

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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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