花見 (はなみ - hanami) - Cherry blossom viewing

The grey, gloomy skies of 冬 (ふゆ - fuyu - Winter) have finally disappeared and with them, the last remnants of 2010. As you know, 春 (はる - haru - Spring) is an "out with the old, in with the new" time of year; offices across the country are busily cleaning and reorganising and students are nervously getting ready for their next step towards graduation and a new life. Whatever's on the cards for the new fiscal year though, most people will take the time to enjoy a good 花見 party or two; as you watch them sitting beneath the pale pink 桜 (さくら - sakura - cherry blossoms) and the pale blue sky, you might wonder if they're stressed about 2011 at all. We've spoken about the concept a bit before, but let's have a closer look at some of the most popular 花見 spots in 兵庫 (ひょうご - Hyogo) and see if our worries melt away as quickly.

日本の四つの季節その4：冬 (にほんのよつのきせつそのよん：ふゆ） - The Four Seasons of Japan 4: Winter

冬 (ふゆ - fuyu - Winter) is the first and last season of the Japanese year, its icy fingers officially taking hold in December and refusing to loosen until the start of 春 (はる - haru - Spring) in early April. Like 夏 (なつ - natsu - Summer), 冬 takes up more than its fair share of the year and it's just as uncomfortable, particularly for people used to living south of the Equator. Having said that, it can be extraordinarily beautiful, it plays host to one of the most spectacular festivals of the year and best of all, noone will notice your クリスマス (Christmas) kilos under that big coat. Grab your scarf and gloves, because it's cold out there.

日本の四つの季節その3：秋 (にほんのよつのきせつそのさん：あき） - The Four Seasons of Japan 3: Autumn

秋 (あき - aki - Autumn) is widely considered the best season of the year in Japan, sharing a very comfortable temperature range with 春 (はる - haru - Spring). While 春 is associated with the excitement of new beginnings, in some ways 秋 is much more subdued; it's a time to relax, reflect and enjoy the weather as it cools the scorching highs of 夏 (なつ - natsu - Summer). Having said that, 紅葉狩り (もみじがり - momijigari - Autumn leaf viewing, literally "maple hunting") is as big a deal as 花見 (はなみ - hanami - cherry blossom viewing) and when you start seeing whole hillsides turning blazing red, I'm sure you'll understand why.

日本の四つの季節その２：夏 (にほんのよつのきせつそのに：なつ） - The Four Seasons of Japan 2: Summer

夏 (なつ - natsu - Summer) is the next big season in Japan, where the grey clouds of 梅雨 (つゆ - tsuyu - the rainy season) finally give way to sweltering tropical heat. It's not all sweat and sunburn though - among other things, 夏 plays host to some of the best festivals of the Japanese calendar; balmy nights with special events, games, food and ice-cold drinks.

Grab your fan, it's going to be a hot one.

日本の四つの季節その１.5：梅雨 (にほんのよつのきせつそのいってんご：つゆ） - The Four Seasons of Japan 1.5: The rainy season

梅雨 (つゆ - tsuyu) usually runs for most of June and the first half of July, lasting for about 40 days. It isn't really considered a season in its own right, which is why I'm putting it as a ".5" - a mini-season during the transition from Spring to Summer. 梅雨 literally means "plum rain", because it coincides with the plum season. I find the name misleadingly gentle, bringing up images of gentle spring rains. Instead, I got to school so soaked this morning that I had to wring my socks out in the sink. I think a better name would be "doom rain" or "bring a spare set of clothes rain".

I don't think even the most optimistic people have too many positive things to say about 梅雨 - it manages to combine the most dreadful elements of the other seasons. Despite the soaking rain, it's still hot and unpleasant. The best word for it, I think is 蒸し暑い (むしあつい - mushiatsui), meaning "humid" or "muggy" - on the really bad days, it's hard to tell where your sweat ends and the rain starts. I'd definitely advise against coming over in the thick of it if you can help it. If not, invest in a good umbrella and some towels!

日本の四つの季節その１：春 (にほんのよつのきせつそのいち：はる） - The Four Seasons of Japan 1: Spring

One of the first questions I was asked when I came to Japan was "how many seasons are there in Australia?". You would be surprised how often this comes up. A lot of people seemed shocked or sceptical when I replied that we have four as well. I think the word their question is missing is "distinct" - we have names for each season, but how different are they in real terms? Once you spend a decent amount of time in Japan and compare it to Australia, you do have to admit that the difference between each season is much starker here. Or you could just read this series and I'll do my best to illustrate it for you.

On a language note, "the four seasons" can be formally written as 春夏秋冬 (しゅんかしゅうとう - shunkashuutou). It's just the kanji for spring, summer, autumn and winter stuck together which I think is very sensible. One of the teachers who sits next to me says that if you can use this when speaking to a Japanese person, they'll think you're "very cool".