Because it blooms flowers in spring.

Shungiku’s peak season is winter, but it was named “shungiku” (“spring chrysanthemum”) because it blooms in spring and its leaves resemble chrysanthemum leaves. It’s said to have come to Japan from China during the Warring States period, and cultivation across Japan began in the Edo period. Incidentally, it’s eaten as a vegetable only in East Asia, including China and Japan; in Europe, it’s grown as an ornamental plant.

unseasonable blossoms

Kaeribana refers to the phenomenon in which flowers that normally bloom in spring or summer blossom in autumn or winter due to warm weather like an Indian summer. This is especially seen in cherry and peach trees. Kaeribana is also written as “返り花” and is sometimes called “nidobana” (second blooming) or “kuruibana” (out-of-season blooming).

Beginning of Winter

Rittō is one of the 24 solar terms that originated in China before the Common Era, falling around November 7. From this day, winter is considered to begin on the calendar, and it marks a seasonal turning point when people start preparing for winter. The period from Rittō until the day before Risshun in early February is regarded as winter.

The scent is distinctive and too strong.

In Japan, the aroma of matsutake mushrooms is cherished as luxurious and richly flavorful, but in the West their distinctive, strong scent is often disliked and they are not commonly eaten. As a result, even in regions where matsutake grow, they are rarely exported or consumed domestically.

Indian summer

The answer is koharubiyori. Koharubiyori refers to calm, sunny days typically seen from early November to early December, especially days that feel warm during the daytime. Although it originally described weather in Japan, it is now widely used. Since it includes the character for “spring,” it’s good to be careful not to mistake it for a term that refers to the spring season.

pufferfish

Fugu was extremely popular among samurai during the Edo period, but when troops assembled in Kyushu during the Bunroku-Keichō Campaigns, a series of deaths occurred due to fugu poisoning. As a result, Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a ban on eating fugu. Although methods for safely removing the toxin have been established today, they were not in place at the time.

cold wintry wind

Kogarashi refers to the first strong northerly wind that blows as the weather turns colder from autumn to winter. Specifically, it means a northerly wind of at least 8 meters per second occurring between mid-October in late autumn and the end of November in early winter. When the kogarashi begins to blow, it signals that the full onset of winter is near.