Tips for Retreat 2月4日（立春）Risshun

The most-watched sport game “The Super Bowl” – the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in Minneapolis, the USA, 2018 “Six nations Championships” -the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship in some cities, the EU are greatly exciting all their fans from young students to the celebrities today.

In the highest mountains of the Himalayas, known as “the roof of the world”, snow-white flowers of Prinsepia are blooming with adorable look. In Japan, it has snowed comparably more than usual but some “Kan-Tsubaki (寒椿)” (Camellia hiemalis) appear in the snow quietly tell you that Spring is just around the corner.

What is Risshun?

Today’s called “Risshun(立春)” in Japan. Risshun is the first day of spring in the traditional Japanese calender. According to the calendar used in the East since ancient times, Rishun marks the beginning of spring. Before the Kansei-reki (Kansei calendar) was introduced, “Heikiho”(a way of expressing 24divisions of the old calendar) was used and was calculated by dividing one year equally(divided by time), into 24 divisions of the old calendar.
There are some traditional events related to this “Niju-shi sekki(二十四節気)” which has recently getting attentions amongst Japanophile.
Let’s find out tips for “Retreat”.

Risshun Asashibori

“立春朝絞り”

Risshun-Namagashi

“立春生菓子”

“Risshun-Cosmetics”