Vocabulary

life cycle; life history

Zygnematophyceae (class of green algae)

Closterium (genus of algae)

to talk on and on; to talk one's head off

losing one's reason due to love; lack of judgment due to love

near summer; end of spring

morning of the New Year

loess; yellow sand; bai; dust from the Yellow River region (China)

southerly wind that blows when the cherry trees are in bloom

river in springtime

equinoctial tide; equinoctial spring tide

bamboo garden

bare ground revealed by melting snow

autumn floods

rain falling on cherry blossoms; rain at the time of the blossoming of cherry trees

spring shower; spring rain

spring hail

tears on the sleeves (of one's kimono); weeping copiously

pickled buds of chocolate vine, Japanese pepper tree, etc.

pickling of unopened rape blossoms

soup with basket clams (usu. miso soup)

salad of fish and vegetables, dressed with crushed mustard leaves and greens seasoned with sake lees, miso and vinegar

pieces of young pepper tree branch (used medicinally or for pickling)

rice-cake sweet sandwiched between two camellia leaves

common species

spring staple shortage (before the harvest of rice, wheat, barley, etc.)

lamps lit at night in spring

striving to adopt ascetic practices for one's whole life

kotatsu not put away but used in spring

fireplace used in springtime

brazier for warming one's cold fingers, esp. in spring

square latticed wooden frame for a kotatsu

to get help; to enlist aid

closing of the winter hearth

opening the winter hearth

iron kettle suspended on a chain

releasing livestock to graze in spring

removing the weather stripping in spring

to count on one's fingers

breaking and removing frozen snow to expose the ground