Today (23rd September 2018) is 'Shuubun-no-hi', Autumnal Equinox Day. Every year, September 23 is a national holiday in Japan.
The week, in which shuubun-no-hi is the middle day, is called 'Ohigan', the autumn equinoctial week, during which memorial services are taken place at temples and people make visits to graves to comfort the spirits of their ancestors. We also make an offering of 'Ohagi', a rice ball coated with sweeten red bean paste or soy bean powder to the ancestors.
On this day, like on the Vernal Equinox Day, the length of day and night is equal.
This period is a boundary marking the end of the summer heat and the coming autumn.
Typhoons frequently hit Japan around this time of the year, and insects dig and hide themselves underground.
The average date of the first snow seen on the top of Mt. Fuji is September 29th. (visible from Kawaguchi Lake) Today's temperature in Fujiyoshida City is 24/16℃.
Kinmokusei (Osmanthus) blossoms are now blooming in my hometown Kofu, near Fujiyoshida City (about 1 hour away by car), and that is one of the signs of the arrival of autumn season. The streets will be soon filled with its unique fragrance.
今日、23日は、秋のお彼岸の中日で、昼と夜の長さがほぼ等しくなります。春分の日と比べて、気温は約10℃高め。まだ夏の名残が感じられる時期でもあります。台風が多くなり、「篠つく雨」という言葉が表すように、地面に勢いよく打ち付ける雨が降る季節です。
富士山で初冠雪が観測される平年日は、9月29日（山梨県富士河口湖町から）。今年はまだ観測されていませんが、いつごろになるのでしょうか。初冠雪の日は、不思議と麓の街、富士吉田でも空気が冷え、秋涼が一気に冷気と移ろうのです。
山梨県甲府市からは、金木犀開花の便りが届きました。実家の庭の金木犀も、せっかく花が開いたのに、連日続く雨に打たれてなかなか香ってこないようです。
今日の富士吉田の天気は、晴天、24／16℃。秋晴れの清々しい日だったことでしょう。
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