Japan is a very seasonal place, where people are accustomed to doing what’s appropriate for whatever season it is, and Japanese often take great pride in this, as if their country was the only one in the world with four distinct seasons. It frankly took me a while to get into the spirit of Japan’s season-centric view when I first arrived here, and I often found myself being kisetsu-hazure (out of sync with the seasons), wearing my “summer” clothes well into October and trying to buy products that weren’t in stores anymore because the season had changed. I go with the flow of Japanese seasons better now — for example, I know summer is coming because suddenly stores and restaurants have started carrying one of my favorite Japanese dishes, Hiyashi Chuka, a cold ramen dish
I love to eat in the summer.
Summer is coming, is your swimsuit ready?
