Japanese Seasons: Four Seasons, Micro-Seasons, and Events in Japan

Learning Japanese seasonal vocabulary goes way beyond just memorizing four words. The way Japanese culture talks about seasons is deeply woven into everyday conversation, traditional events, and even business etiquette. If you're planning to visit Japan or just want to understand the language better, getting comfortable with seasonal expressions will make a huge difference. Here's the thing: Japanese people talk about seasons constantly. Weather small talk matters in Japanese culture, and knowing the right seasonal terms helps you sound natural instead of like you're reading from a textbook.

Season in Japanese: How to actually say it

When you want to say "season" in Japanese, you'll use . This word appears everywhere from weather forecasts to restaurant menus advertising seasonal dishes.

If you want to ask someone about their favorite season, you'd say:
？
What is your favorite season?

The counter for seasons is also kisetsu, but you can combine it with numbers: technically means four seasons, though most people just say when talking about the four seasons as a concept.

The four seasons in Japanese

Let's start with the basics. What are the 4 seasons in Japan? The Japanese calendar follows the same four seasons as most temperate regions, but each season carries specific cultural weight.

Spring season in Japan: Cherry blossom mania

Can you feel the exciting vibe of the spring season in Japan? If you visit during late March or early April, you absolutely will. Spring in Japan means - flower viewing parties where people gather under blooming cherry trees to eat, drink, and celebrate.

The cherry blossom season is so important that weather forecasters track the - cherry blossom front - as it moves north across the country. News programs literally show maps predicting when different regions will hit peak bloom.

Beyond sakura, spring vocabulary includes:

Spring also brings - the first strong southerly wind of spring, which signals winter is truly ending. Weather reporters announce this every year like it's breaking news.

Summer and the rainy season

Before summer heat really kicks in, Japan experiences - the rainy season. This typically runs from early June to mid-July, though Hokkaido mostly skips it. During tsuyu, you'll hear constant weather complaints and see umbrellas everywhere.

Summer vocabulary you'll actually use:

The Obon festival happens in mid-August, when many Japanese people return to their hometowns to honor ancestors. Obon creates one of the year's biggest travel periods, so trains and hotels get packed.

Summer also brings - cicadas - whose deafening chorus becomes the soundtrack of Japanese summer. Locals barely notice, but first-time visitors find the constant buzzing pretty shocking.

Autumn foliage and harvest time

Autumn in Japan rivals spring for natural beauty. Instead of cherry blossom forecasts, you get predictions - tracking when and where autumn leaves will peak.

The practice of viewing fall foliage is called - literally "autumn leaf hunting." Popular spots like Kyoto's temples get absolutely mobbed during peak color season in November.

Autumn vocabulary includes:

Food becomes super seasonal in autumn. Restaurant menus proudly advertise - seasonal peak - for ingredients like matsutake mushrooms and sanma (Pacific saury fish). Japanese people take seasonal eating seriously, so autumn brings completely different dishes than summer.

Winter and snow country

Winter vocabulary depends heavily on where you are in Japan. In snowy regions, you need completely different terms than in Tokyo.

Essential winter words:

The period around New Year is huge in Japan. - year-end and New Year - means most businesses close and families gather. Seasonal greetings become important, with specific phrases for different times of the year-end period.

Winter also brings season - those heated tables with blankets that become your best friend during cold months. Once you get under a kotatsu, good luck getting back out.

What is 24 sekki and 72 ko

Beyond the four seasons, traditional Japanese calendar divides the year much more finely. - 24 solar terms - splits the year into 24 periods of roughly 15 days each. These mark subtle seasonal shifts like - the beginning of spring - which falls around February 4th.

Even more detailed is - 72 microseasons - which divides each of the 24 sekki into three periods of about five days. These have poetic names like "Peach blossoms begin to bloom" or "First rainbow appears."

While most modern Japanese people don't actively track all 72 microseasons, these concepts still influence:

You'll see references to these microseasons in cultural contexts, especially in Kyoto where traditional practices remain strong.

Seasonal greetings and expressions

Japanese has specific seasonal greetings that change throughout the year. Using the wrong one marks you as either a beginner or culturally clueless.

Spring greetings:

Summer greetings:

Autumn greetings:

Winter greetings:

These formal expressions appear in business emails and letters. Casual conversation uses simpler phrases, but knowing formal seasonal greetings helps when you need to write professionally.

Seasonal events and cultural practices

Each season brings specific events that shape Japanese life:

Spring events:

Summer events:

Autumn events:

Winter events:

Understanding these events helps you grasp why certain seasonal vocabulary appears when it does.

Weather descriptions for each season

Talking about weather requires season-specific vocabulary:

Spring weather:

Summer weather:

Autumn weather:

Winter weather:

Weather apps and forecasts use these terms constantly, so learning them helps you understand daily life in Japan.

Practical tips for learning seasonal vocabulary

Anyway, if you want to practice this seasonal vocabulary with real Japanese content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words instantly while watching shows or reading articles about Japanese culture. You can build your vocabulary naturally by learning words in context. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

FAQs

冬が終われば、春は遠くない (Fuyu ga owareba, haru wa tōkunai)

Why not start learning the basics of the language and the unique culture before your visit? Understanding seasonal vocabulary transforms your trip from tourist observation to cultural participation. When you can comment on the beautiful koyo or complain about the mushiatsui summer weather, locals appreciate the effort. The vocabulary also allows you to understand more Japanese culture in-depth in videos and audios!

Each season promises its own rewards!