We have entered the micro-season of “The Fireflies Rise from the Rotten Grass”. As a way to celebrate this season, we will look into the life cycle of the firefly and read poems by Robert Frost, Kobayashi Issa, Matsuo Bashō, and Masaoka Shiki.
The Blog
Micro-season: “The Time for Wheat”
We have entered the micro-season of “The Time for Wheat”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season of Grain Full. To honor this season, we investigate wheat as a cereal crop and take a look at Vincent van Gogh's wheat-inspired paintings.
Micro-Season: “The Safflower Blossoms”
We have entered the micro-season of “The Safflower Blossoms”. This is the second micro-season of the mini-season of Grain Full. To honor this season we are looking at the history and uses of the safflower and then reading poetry from the Man'yōshū, Kokinwakashū, and some haiku by Basho.
Micro-Season: “Bamboo Shoots Appear”
We have entered the micro-season of “Bamboo Shoots Appear”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season of First Summer. To honor this season, we are learning all about Bamboo and reading haiku by Basho, Issa, and Buson.
Micro-season: “The Earthworms Rise”
We have entered the micro-season of “The Earthworms Rise”, which is the second micro-season of the mini-season of First Summer. To honor this season we will be looking at the taxonomy of earthworms and reading poetry for Carl Dennis, Issa, Buson, and Basho.
Micro-season: “The First Frog Calls”
We have entered the micro-season of “The First Frog Calls”, which is the first micro-season of the mini-season of First Summer. In this season we investigate why frogs call and who are the first frogs to call. We also look at Basho’s famous Frog Pond haiku and the haiku responses from Issa and Buson.
Micro-season: “The Tree Peony Flowers”
We have entered the micro-season of “The Tree Peony Flowers”. To honor this season we are investigating the “King of Flowers”, and reading poetry by Qian Qi, Emperor Yang, Buson, Issa, and Basho.
Micro-season: “The Frost Stops the Rice Grows”
We have entered the micro-season of “The Frost Stops the Rice Grows”, which is the second micro-season of the mini-season of Grain Rain. To honor this season we will look into the trends in spring frost and read haiku by Issa, Basho, and Buson.
Micro-season: “The First Reeds Grow”
We have entered the micro-season of “The First Reeds Grow”, which is the first micro-season of the mini-season of Grain Rain. To honor this season we are exploring the taxonomy of reeds, traditional Japanese reed instruments, and some haiku by Issa and Basho.
Micro-season: “The First Rainbow Appears”
We have entered the micro-season of “The First Rainbow Appears”. This is the third micro-season of the mini-season of Clear and Bright. In today’s post, we are looking at how rainbows are formed, the types of rainbows, and some poetry by Dickinson, Issa, and Takahama Kyoshi
Micro-season: “Geese Fly North”
We have entered the micro-season of “Geese Fly North”. To honor this season we look at bird migration patterns and read haiku by Basho, Issa, Shiki, and Buson.
Mini-Season: Clear and Bright
We have entered the mini-season of Clear and Bright, which is the fifth mini-season of the year. To honor this season we are exploring the Qingming Festival, Taqing, Kite Flying, and poetry by Du Mu, Wu Weixin, and Issa.