Micro-season 40 of 72 · Jul 23 – Jul 27

Paulownia trees bear first seeds.

Kiri hajimete hana wo musubu

The paulownia trees, having flowered in spring, now form their first seed pods as the summer heat reaches its zenith.

The air sits heavy and still, saturated with moisture that clings to skin and leaf alike. High in the paulownia trees, where fragrant purple blossoms hung just weeks ago, green seed capsules begin to swell in the white heat. This is Taisho at its most intense — cicadas cry without pause, and even shadows offer little respite from the shimmering days.

Nature notes

Higurashi cicadas join the chorus now, their melancholy evening calls layering over the daytime drone of aburazemi. Dragonflies patrol the still edges of ponds, and fireflies have given way to the flash of lightning bugs in mountain villages. The rice paddies have deepened to a vivid green, the stalks robust and beginning to form their first grain heads.

In season

Fruits

Vegetables

Fish

At the table

01

Ice-cold wheat noodles served in chilled water with dipping sauce, the perfect antidote to days when even thinking feels like effort.

02

Grilled freshwater eel glazed with sweet soy — traditionally eaten near the midsummer Doyo no Ushi no Hi to restore stamina against the draining heat.

03

Bitter melon dressed in mashed tofu and sesame, its sharp bite cutting through the humidity's lethargy.

04

Thinly sliced octopus and cucumber in rice vinegar, cool and clean on the palate when appetite falters.

Cultural note

This period often encompasses Doyo no Ushi no Hi, the midsummer Day of the Ox, when eating eel is believed to fortify the body against natsubate — summer fatigue. The custom dates to the Edo period, when a scholar reportedly advised an eel seller to promote his wares on this auspicious day. Shops still display banners and lines form early for prized wild unagi.

桐の実や空の青さに触れもせず

kiri no mi ya / sora no aosa ni / fure mo sezu

paulownia seeds — / not yet touching / the blue of sky

In the breathless noon, a single paulownia pod hangs motionless, already dreaming of autumn winds that will carry its seeds away.