Realizing the Rainy Season Has Ended | Lesser Heat

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

I share daily events intertwined with Nine Star Ki. I would be happy if you could think, "Ki-gaku is actually kind of interesting!"✨

Today, I am participating in this article by Hashi-san.🌻

Learning about the world within books through a matcha experience

Since yesterday | Lesser Heat (Shosho)☀️
We are approaching the halfway point of the twenty-four solar terms.
It is said to be the time when the real heat begins and the end of the rainy season approaches.

In the Kansai region, just before entering Lesser Heat, there were many overcast and rainy days, making it a proper rainy season.☔️
By the way, people around me say that in Kansai, there is more rain during the long rainy period around September than during the rainy season in June and July.
I certainly feel that way too, and I have the impression that there is more rain in the autumn.
However, there was so much rain this year that people were talking about how "it really rains a lot this year," and it felt like it rained quite heavily when it did.

Perhaps because I feel the seasons like this and write about them on note, or because I am reading the book that inspired me, "Kojitsu Nikki" (Good Day Diary), I had an encounter during my company trip last weekend.

At my company, we have a company trip once a year.
We charter a sightseeing bus, go sightseeing together, and stay overnight at a Japanese inn. There is also a banquet, which is a traditional company trip that is rare in the Reiwa era.👜

This year's sightseeing destination was Uji.⛩️
Unfortunately, it was rainy, but we had a matcha experience.🍵

The world of tea, which I often learn about for the first time through "Kojitsu Nikki." In May, at a pottery market, I saw a kogo (incense container) for the first time,
and during the matcha experience, I had the opportunity to touch many more tools, and I experienced the first step into the world of tea.

The tools that appeared were, from the right, a natsume (tea caddy), a chashaku (tea scoop), a chasen (tea whisk), matcha, and a bowl.

You put the matcha scooped into the natsume, scoop the matcha with the chashaku, and the chasen is for whisking the matcha.

Although it is a little different from a real tea ceremony class, being able to use real tools right in front of me was a valuable experience.

I poured hot water from a pot into the bowl until it was about 1/4 full and started whisking using the chasen. I was taught how to use the chasen, "The trick is to use your wrist."
With the image I had from reading the book, I tried whisking it like this: swish, swish, swish, swish.

The shop staff complimented me, saying, "You're good at this!"🤣

When I drank it, even though the water was steaming when poured from the pot, it was at a temperature I could drink in one gulp. There was no grittiness from the powder, it had a smooth mouthfeel, and the taste was refreshing.
I was able to experience the taste of "matcha," which is different from the green tea in teapots or plastic bottles, and different from the powdered tea at sushi restaurants.

Don't forget to stay bright even at the turn of the season

In Nine Star Ki, which flows with the seasons, July begins from Lesser Heat.🎋(7/7 to 8/6)

The star that comes to the center in July is lively, bright, and energetic.💫 It is a month with momentum, where new ideas are born, and it is good for sharing information.
However, 2026 is a year with the nature of "water." Therefore, the overall flow feels like being in a state of fluctuation.
Even so, if you try to put out the thoughts you have been nurturing or things that have not yet taken shape,☀️ you might encounter new directions or perspectives that you could not have noticed on your own.

In particular, since the star that represents communication, kindness, and thoughtfulness is also in the spotlight, it would be good to keep these in mind when talking with someone.🤗

And this month, the Doyo period is also coming.
The summer Doyo is from 7/20 to 8/6. It is said that it is good to eat foods that start with the sound "u" during this period, and supermarkets become lively with "Eel on the Day of the Ox!"

It's not like it has to be eel, so it seems that pickled plums (umeboshi), udon noodles, melons (uri/cucumber), and beef (ushiniku) are also fine.
There are many things that are surprisingly easy to incorporate into the season, such as summer vegetables and cold udon, so please give it a try.🤗

While I was refining this article, Lesser Heat passed, and the rainy season in Kansai has actually ended!😱 This morning, there was scorching sunlight and the occasional sound of cicadas... it's completely summer-like.☀️
I want to walk through the next season while incorporating food so that I don't lose to the heat.🤗

Thank you for reading today as well.🍀