Autumn Equinox Day
Autumn Equinox Day usually falls between September 22 - 24 on the Japanese calendar. The Japanese term for this day is Shubun no Hi, and there are some ancient customs and traditions associated with this celebration. If you are in Tokyo during this festival, try to catch a local matsuri at a nearby temple or shrine. Sensoji temple in Asakusa is always a good bet. If you're lucky you'll get to see some taiko drummers or some other events that will no doubt be going on.
What Is Autumn Equinox Day
The most important factor that defines Autumn Equinox Day is the relationship between light and dark, or day and night. On the day of Shubun no Hi, there are 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of light. It's 24 hours of balance if you like, and signals the turning point from summer to autumn.
Autumn Equinox Day is actually part of a 7 day period in Japan called higan. The 3 days before and the 3 days after Shubun no Hi make up the higan period on the Japanese calendar. The word 'higan' comes from Buddhism and means 'to reach the other shore'. In August, during the Obon festival, the souls of our ancestors cross the shore to come and visit us. During 'higan', it is our turn to pay our respects to them.
Many Japanese people will visit their family members who have passed on and spend time cleaning the area where they are buried, before placing offerings of food, incense and flowers on the graves. One special Japanese food that you will see in the shops during the period around Shubun no Hi is a sticky rice ball called 'ohagi'. Made from mochi, in the same way as the sweets for Japanese New Year, the ohagi are covered with soybean flour or azuki bean paste, known as anko. Compared to Western style sweets these are relatively healthy snacks, so if you are offered one you don't need to feel guilty : )
Welcome the Autumn Season
On Autumn Equinox Day Tokyoites, and the majority of Japanese, will take a big sigh of relief as the heat wave of summer draws to a close. The mercury starts to fall, and is soon followed by the turning of the leaves known as koyo. This usually begins around mid October time in Tokyo. Shubun no Hi also provides a signal to those who are fashion conscious to start thinking about their winter wardrobe.
