Japanese Seasonal Calendar in the Kitchen: Fuyu, Haru, Natsu, Aki and the Cook's Year

Nationwide Japan — the shun philosophy embedded in all regional culinary traditions

The Japanese kitchen's four-season framework is far more granular than the Western seasonal calendar—Japanese culinary culture recognizes 24 seasonal micro-periods (sekki—solar terms borrowed from the Chinese calendar), each approximately 15 days long, and some traditional practitioners acknowledge 72 seasonal periods (kō—micro-seasons). These micro-seasons guide ingredient selection at the highest levels of Japanese cuisine. Beyond the standard four seasons, the culinary calendar has distinct food associations: risshun (start of spring, February 4) is the traditional start of spring cuisine including fuki no tō; hangan (spring equinox, March 21) marks the beginning of sakura-associated foods; tachika (start of summer, May 6) signals the first sōmen; doyo (the 18-day period before each season change) is associated with specific foods—doyo no ushino hi in midsummer calls for eel (unagi). Autumn begins with the arrival of sanma (Pacific saury), matsutake mushrooms, and the harvest of Shinmai (new rice). Winter's arrival is marked by fugu season, kan-buri (winter yellowtail), and kani (crab). For professionals, operating by shun requires active seasonal purchasing rather than year-round standardized menus—the menu should change at minimum quarterly (with the major seasons) and ideally continuously as ingredients peak and pass.

The seasonal calendar has no single flavour—it is the organizing principle behind all flavour; to eat seasonally in Japan is to eat the flavour of the specific moment in nature; shun is the bridge between the kitchen and the living year