[athenot]

This is a very perceptive way to watch time pass when watching nature—and definitely useful when life revolved around things growing in the groud.

I wonder how much drift there is on the dates given, or if local climate yields highly predicatable weather patterns.

For example here in the South-East US, the "last frost" date can vary from mid February to late April but our weather patterns are higly variable.

[giraffe_lady]

It's super local for sure. I doubt this one even applies effectively to all of japan. I found out about this a long time ago and have used it as a loose structure for coming up with my own similar thing based on my own area and observations.

But at this level of granularity moving a couple hundred miles north/south or a thousand feet in elevation is enough to shift a lot of it around, both in timing and in most notable plant and animal life at the transitions.

It's really more of a years-long exercise in observation, record keeping, poetry, and sense of place. I doubt there's a pre-made one that works as is for anyone.

[resolutebat]

To me the entire calendar seems at least a month too "fast". For example:

August 8–12 涼風至 Suzukaze itaru Cool winds blow

When early August anywhere in mainland Japan more closely resembles Satan's armpit, with extreme heat and humidity and a distinct lack of cool breezes.

[glandium]

It is worth noting that the day after December 2, 1872 was January 1, 1873. That's when Japan switched to the Julian Calendar. August 8 before that was... in September.

[resolutebat]

A-ha! Now those dates make more sense.

[yamazakiwi]

Yeah, I've seen snow in Tokyo but you go farther south and snow becomes very rare. So imagine mainland would vary a lot too.