HAKURO ー　White Dew

Though the days are still warm enough to make one sweat, the sound of insects has begun to fill the air along the Kamo River at night.

Have you heard of the “Twenty-Four Solar Terms” (nijūshi sekki), the traditional Chinese-Japanese calendar that attunes us to such subtle seasonal shifts? It divides the sun’s annual path into twenty-four segments of 15 degrees each, capturing with remarkable precision the changes in weather that are just beginning to unfold.

The spring and autumn equinoxes, and the summer and winter solstices, are familiar to many. Yet the names of the other solar terms—Keichitsu (Awakening of Insects), Seimei (Clear and Bright), Hakuro (White Dew), and Sōkō (Frost’s Descent)—express a distinctive sensibility, as though shifts in light and atmosphere had been distilled into words. They invite us to look at nature with the close, attentive gaze of an insect in the grass or a wanderer in the fields.

Early September brings Hakuro, or White Dew: the time when cooler nights cause dew to form on grasses and leaves, glimmering white in the morning light. Even the moss in a garden, having endured both winter and summer, begins to take on a soft, moist sheen.

Perhaps it is time to exchange chilled tea for a warm cup. Let the table hold a steaming bowl of soup, and slowly savour white foods—pear, lotus root, white sesame, and tofu. In traditional seasonal food wisdom, these are thought to help the body adjust to the changing season.

In the evening, dim the lights a little earlier than usual and take a long, slow breath out. Hakuro marks the threshold between summer and autumn with tiny drops of dew on flowers and grasses. It may be a moment to offer your own mind and body a little of that same gentle moisture and calm.