Written by Japanologist Natalie Leon, this beautiful guide unlocks the secrets of Japan's seasonal culture to help you relish the seasons wherever you are. Relish every day with the secrets of Japan’s seasonal culture In traditional Japanese culture, people eat, sleep and wear the seasons, from kimono motifs to petal-shaped sweets, and festivals dedicated to nature’s spectacular displays. This mindful celebration of nature leads to a deep awareness of the seasons, called kisetsukan. This book reveals the hidden depths of kisetsukan, and how its concepts can transform your life. Discover: Shun, eating what is fresh and bountiful. Preserve edible flowers to use in homemade sweets, or taste the spring with “seven herb” porridge. Mottainai, zero-waste living. Learn about boro boro, visible mending that honours the history of a cherished garment, or wrap gifts in sustainable, seasonal fabrics. Kadō, the Way of Flowers. Learn the rules of ikebana and arrange flowers according to the seasons, or throw a cherry blossom-viewing party. Momijigari, the ritual of leaf hunting. Explore local nature with “forest bathing”, or learn simple ways to bring the outside inside. This treasure trove of folktales, recipes and activities is an invitation to celebrate each day, for increased creativity, harmony and happiness.

With more and more people migrating to the countryside, and with the growing trend away from mass-produced and factory-processed foods, the time is ripe for the wisdom and eloquence of Living Seasonally. Here, Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd champion respect for the seasons and pride in workmanship as they invite us to share in their dedication to both the practicalities and the aesthetics of living off the land. Living Seasonally puts special emphasis on the raising of vegetables. It details not only the day-to-day aspects of vegetable gardening but also the shaping of the garden to make it a beautiful space with its own particular emotional resonance, its own magic. Delicious recipes and photography complete what will surely become a gardening classic.

Elegant representations of nature and the four seasons populate a wide range of Japanese genres and media—from poetry and screen painting to tea ceremonies, flower arrangements, and annual observances. In Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons, Haruo Shirane shows how, when, and why this practice developed and explicates the richly encoded social, religious, and political meanings of this imagery. Refuting the belief that this tradition reflects Japan's agrarian origins and supposedly mild climate, Shirane traces the establishment of seasonal topics to the poetry composed by the urban nobility in the eighth century. After becoming highly codified and influencing visual arts in the tenth and eleventh centuries, the seasonal topics and their cultural associations evolved and spread to other genres, eventually settling in the popular culture of the early modern period. Contrasted with the elegant images of nature derived from court poetry was the agrarian view of nature based on rural life. The two landscapes began to intersect in the medieval period, creating a complex, layered web of competing associations. Shirane discusses a wide array of representations of nature and the four seasons in many genres, originating in both the urban and rural perspective: textual (poetry, chronicles, tales), cultivated (gardens, flower arrangement), material (kimonos, screens), performative (noh, festivals), and gastronomic (tea ceremony, food rituals). He reveals how this kind of "secondary nature," which flourished in Japan's urban architecture and gardens, fostered and idealized a sense of harmony with the natural world just at the moment it was disappearing. Illuminating the deeper meaning behind Japanese aesthetics and artifacts, Shirane clarifies the use of natural images and seasonal topics and the changes in their cultural associations and function across history, genre, and community over more than a millennium. In this fascinating book, the four seasons are revealed to be as much a cultural construction as a reflection of the physical world.

This is a practical and inspirational guide to living life to the fullest by celebrating the seasons and living in harmony with nature.

For thousands of years, human lives and diets have been closely tied to the rhythms of the seasons—and for good reason. Following the season-by-season nutritional principles of Chinese medicine is the best way to maximize the nutrients in your diet and strengthen your body. Real Food All Year offers seasonal shopping lists and meal suggestions, detoxifying cleanses drawn from the wisdom of ancient traditions, and tips for putting together quick snacks on the go. This guide includes everything you need to enjoy the pleasures of eating fresh foods and nourishing your body in the way nature intended. In Real Food All Year, you’ll learn to: • Use Eastern medicinal principles to balance your diet for greater energy • Understand how each season affects your body’s health • Refresh your body with simple, energy-building cleanses • Prepare delicious meals using over 35 gluten-free recipes

Seasonal Sociology offers an engrossing and lively introduction to sociology through the seasons, examining the sociality of consumption practices, leisure activities, work, religious traditions, schooling, celebrations and holidays.

From the warm smell of freshly-baked gingerbread to the sweet scent of sachets, fill every room with enticing fragrance. Follow the seasonal suggestions for scents heady or delicate--including candles, flowers, foods, and more. And, the exquisite photos are as pleasing to your eyes as the fragrances are to your nose!