The smartphone app 72 Seasons is a must-have for students of Japanese culture. It divides the year into 72 microseasons and provides details of the flora and fauna associated with each of those time periods, as well as an appropriate haiku.
During the particularly 暑い (atsui, hot) week we’ve just had, it was fitting that the app labeled the time frame from around July 22 till Aug. 6 as 大暑 (taisho, major heat).
When it comes to 猛暑 (mōsho, heat waves), most Japanese media outlets tend to base their judgements of how bad things are by looking at the 温度 (ondo, temperature) in one city: 熊谷 (Kumagaya). Located in northern Saitama Prefecture, this week the mercury hit 41度 (yonjūichi-do, 41 degrees) there. The temperature was almost as high in other cities across the Kanto region, such as Tokyo.
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