Lesser Heat: Gathering Fragments of Summer

Before I knew it, my eyes were searching for and gathering fragments of summer.
Even though I get grumpy when it's hot, I want to spend summer in a way that feels like summer.
What does it mean to feel like summer?
Things that come to mind when I hear "summer": "blazing sun," "the ocean," "watermelon."
Is it good or bad that no matter how old I get, the things I associate with "summer" haven't changed much?

In the central part of Hokkaido where I live, once summer arrives, days over 30 degrees Celsius continue.
That said, this year, even if it's hot during the day, it's cool in the mornings and evenings, and once the sun sets, it's almost chilly. True summer is still a little way off.

While I'm thinking "Is it here yet?" it gets hot, and before I know it, it's over.
That is Hokkaido's short summer.

Summer has many events in various places, and with more opportunities to go outside, I feel like there's a certain vitality to it.
Perhaps that's why I'm searching for summer somewhere.

July 7th, the Lesser Heat of the twenty-four solar terms.
After the rainy season ends, before the full-blown summer arrives.
It is exactly the season I am feeling right now.
Don't the twenty-four solar terms not fit Hokkaido? I started this series wanting to know such differences, but strangely enough, this year's Lesser Heat was perfect for the current Hokkaido.

Differences between Honshu and Hokkaido
I think it's a fairly well-known story by now, but July 7th is Tanabata in Honshu.
In Hokkaido, with the exception of some regions, Tanabata is August 7th.
Of course, for Tanabata in Hokkaido, we also write wishes on strips of paper, look at Orihime and Hikoboshi, and the Milky Way.
And children walk around visiting neighboring houses while singing the "Candle, give me" song to receive candy.
When I was a child, my sister and friends would wear yukata, carry lanterns, and walk around the neighborhood. We would receive candles and candy, and sometimes at the homes of wealthy people, we would even get envelopes containing 50 or 100 yen.

Times have changed, and gradually, the voices of children have faded away.
With the pandemic making it difficult to give or receive food from other people's homes, I rarely see children going around anymore.
When I was young, I was a little bewildered by the children who kept singing in front of my house, and honestly, preparing candy was a chore.
But now, I only vaguely know where children live in the neighborhood.
I felt a little lonely realizing I live without knowing the children in my community.

Making wishes on Tanabata hasn't changed even now that I'm an adult. (Though Hokkaido's Tanabata is a month later.)

Last year's wishes
"May I be able to publish a ZINE."
"May I continue learning sign language."
"May my daughter's health remain stable."
Looking back, all of last year's wishes came true.

This year's wishes
"May my ZINE reach many people."
"May everyone around me be healthy."
I'll be greedy and wish for these.

If you look for it, summer is surprisingly scattered everywhere.
I will introduce just a few of the "fragments of summer" I found this year.

Following the summer solstice, seasonal Japanese sweets: Waka-ayu (young sweetfish)

Tanabata Time Capsule

#MyTwentyFourSolarTerms