Listening to the Sounds of Summer | Taisho (Major Heat)

I'm Mih0Chi4, a Nine Star Ki essayist.🤗

I share posts that weave together daily events and Nine Star Ki. I would be happy if you could think, "Hey, Ki-gaku is actually kind of interesting!"✨

This time, I am participating in this project by Hashi-san.🌻

An overly hot summer... the difference in cicada songs

Well, the end of the summer season is | Taisho (Major Heat).

Literally... it is the time when summer solstice has passed and the heat reaches its peak.🥵
I feel the heat everywhere.
Summers in the Kansai region are more humid than in the Kanto region, and because the terrain is a basin, especially near Kyoto, the hot air simply cannot escape.
Also, since I live on the border between Osaka and Kyoto prefectures, the moment I get off the train after work, I am enveloped in the same muggy feeling as stepping into a sauna...🥵

And then, there are the cicadas.
I grew up in the Kanto region, so for me, cicadas meant the "min-min-min-min" sound of the Min-min cicada.

However, in Kansai, the Kumazemi (large brown cicada) that goes "sha-sha-sha-sha..." is the mainstream.
This is also quite loud.

I borrowed this from Toyota City's official YouTube channel because it had an easy-to-understand recording of cicada songs.

Maybe it's too hot during the day lately, but I hear this sound from before 6:00 AM... even with the windows closed, the volume is intense.😅

It happens every year, but I feel like the morning cicada songs are particularly memorable this year.

Looking at it through Nine Star Ki, July 2026 is a month where "voice" and "sound" are at the center.
Thanks to my daily diary, I am more conscious of the seasons, and perhaps I am more aware of the "sounds of the season" than usual.

The sound my child plays is proof of growth

Yesterday, during this Major Heat, my family had our child's piano recital.🎹 A recital in a month associated with sound—it might have been perfect.🤗

This is the second time participating in a recital.
The piece performed this time was chosen because my child was influenced by hearing it at last year's first recital and thinking, "That song was cool! I want to play it too!"
They practiced little by little over about 10 months.

The day before the recital, when it was time for a bath, they suddenly started washing the bathtub lid, saying, "I'm going to clean...!" and seemed restless. Last year, it was their first time, so the excitement seemed stronger, but this year, there was an atmosphere of nervousness...

On the morning of the day, they stumbled in places they usually don't, and while I was inwardly nervous listening, I didn't say anything.

And then the performance arrived...

They let us hear a wonderful tone that resonated clearly through the hall.🎹

And after their own performance, they were able to sit quietly and listen until the end, which was another moment where I felt their growth.👏

The sweltering summer heat is also proof that the season is progressing.☀️
This summer, where I was also able to feel my child's growth, I want to fully appreciate the "sounds" and head toward Risshu (the beginning of autumn), the turning point of the season.🤗

Thank you for reading today as well.🍀