Welcome back to the 72 gardening seasons of Japan. Since we last met, we have lived through 6 seasons: Trees have been producing seeds (23-28 July), the Earth has been damp, air was humid (29 July – 2 August), Great rains have sometimes fallen (3-7 August), Cool winds have blown (8-12 August), Cicadas have sung (13-17 August) and finally Thick fog has descended (18-22 August). Did you miss them? Has the summer seemed like an unending, unrelenting blast of hot air from an open oven door? All the more reason we need to buckle down and focus on what’s in front of us.
The Japanese seasons often seem so unrelated to our experience but that’s what I love about them. It makes me think about what I’ve been experiencing every 5 days.
If I were writing my own titles, I would come up with: blackberries burst forth (boy oh boy, have they been good this year); slow-worms break for cover (the compost is too hot); sunflower heads hang heavy (I had to chop them off!); mice nibble sweetcorn; birds attack figs; squashes hide in the hedgerows.
In France, where we’ve been for a week, whole landscapes had unending beige and cream-coloured fields which looked quite nice from a distance, but up close the crops were parched and arid, stunned into inactivity. So any mention of dampness, great rains, cool winds and thick fog are just cruel topics of conversation. We need to face reality. So, with blackberries come apples (yes, they’re starting to ripen). Leaves are littering the ground (time to start raking). Autumn raspberries are coming to a close.
Everything has speeded up this year. You’ve got to have your wits about you. It’s not all good and it’s not all bad. It is what it is. See you next time as we slide into cooler seasons – hopefully.
– Alastair Creamer