Summer
夏
Japan’s Summer: A Sensory Story
Japan’s summer is a season like a story touched by all five senses.
The mountains, draped in deep green, quietly breathe,
steadfastly receiving the sun’s rays.
Rivers weave through the greenery, their refreshing current soothing the hearts of all who visit.
At dawn, a sea of clouds fills the valleys, inviting a sensation of walking through a dream.
Each time the furin (wind chimes) hanging from the eaves ring softly,
adding coolness to the air of daily life, memories of summers past are revived.
As night falls, fireworks paint the sky beyond the mountain ridges.
Waves of sound spread on the wind, grazing the clouds,
carrying a faint light even to distant villages.
The stillness of the deep green, the murmur of the river, the illusion of the sea of clouds,
the serene pause of the wind chimes, the fleeting glow of the fireworks—
the summer landscape woven from these elements is not just beautiful.
It is a layer of time that soaks into the soul, forming the core of the Japanese sense of season.