Light Rains Sometimes Fall: A British Year in Japan’s 72 Ancient Seasons
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- Create Date：2021-09-29 08:51:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Lev Parikian
- ISBN：1783965770
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Reviews
Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore
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My thanks to Elliot and Thompson and NetGalley for a review copy of this book。‘Stop and smell the roses’ we are sometimes told or tell ourselves。 Slow down， look about， and take in the beauty and wonders of life around you at all times—it isn’t just flowers， but birds， insects， bees and butterflies， trees and plants， and much more。 And that’s what Lev Parikian’s Light Rains Sometimes Fall: A British Year through Japan’s 72 Seasons invites us to do。We usually think of seasons in terms of the typi My thanks to Elliot and Thompson and NetGalley for a review copy of this book。‘Stop and smell the roses’ we are sometimes told or tell ourselves。 Slow down， look about， and take in the beauty and wonders of life around you at all times—it isn’t just flowers， but birds， insects， bees and butterflies， trees and plants， and much more。 And that’s what Lev Parikian’s Light Rains Sometimes Fall: A British Year through Japan’s 72 Seasons invites us to do。We usually think of seasons in terms of the typical four—spring， summer， autumn， and winter， but really， depending on where in the world one is， these vary and can be more or less in number （here in India， the monsoon is， of course， another）。 The Japanese conception of seasons is very different with the four seasons divided into six and further three subdivisions， totalling to 72 micro-seasons of five days each。 Each of these reflect the subtle little changes in weather， the coming or going of seasonal birds， insects， frogs， or flowers， the ripening or harvest of a fruit or a crop and such。 Using these micro-seasons as a guide， the author charts his observations of the changes in the place where he lives—South London—mostly his home and neighbourhood， and the cemetery where he takes his daily walks， for the year he writes his experiences of began in February 2020， and not long after he started， lockdown began。From new leaves appearing in spring， to subtle changes in the weather， the arrival of the seasonal birds he watches out for every year， to butterflies， bees， and dragonflies， little insects or spiders， or even mushrooms cropping up in hidden corners， mosses and lichens， the author traces it all。 Each chapter is named after his own observations of that period such as ‘Dunnock defies the traffic noise’， ‘Bird song fills the air’， ‘Maple reaches peak of glory’ or ‘Bracken turns to bronze’。 Alongside， we also find in each chapter， the name of its Japanese counterpart （oftentimes very different） like ‘Chrysanthemums bloom’， ‘First lotus blossoms’， ‘Thick fog descends’， ‘Silkworms start feasting on mulberry leaves’， or ‘Tachibana citrus tree leaves turn yellow’ （both in English and Kanji）—some names in either case， are poetic and others plain。 The book is written in a casual， chatty tone （the ‘f’ word creeps in quite a few times） pretty much as though the author is speaking to us of his experiences， but is filled with lovely， detailed descriptions of all that he observes， but at the same time also a thread of humour running through it， which I enjoyed。 （Besides the actual humour， I also found myself laughing a little at his terming 30oC weather as baking coming from a place where 44 is quite regularly reached; and our winter sees 2oC too， even if we don’t have snow and ice。） But don’t let the humour and causal tone fool you， for the author， a keen birder with other books to his credit， knows his birds， and even though he is a little self-deprecatory about it， he also knows about other aspects of nature as well， and his knowledge shines through in the book。The seasons themselves， even when subdivided into such small periods， aren’t quite so easy to compartmentalize， as the author tells as， for nature ‘rolls and waves， ebbs and flows， the distinctions often too blurred for us to notice’。 They also have the ability to surprise for even the birds the author knows to expect at a certain time， can still surprise him while alongside， on some occasions there are bigger surprises in the sighting of unexpected birds or butterflies， among others。 But whether commonplace or unusual， much of what the author sees， because of how closely he observes it， and the attention he pays to it， has the ability to amaze， surprise and cause his eyes to pop with wonder。 As he writes‘…looking closely at something as it were for the first time—it’s a way of finding beauty and interest in the mundane， learning to appreciate the things that form the backdrop to everyday life’。And it is not just the aesthetics of these but also the feats they are able to accomplish—from tiny creatures migrating several thousand miles every year， to others knowing just where they have hidden hundreds of acorns。 The author has his favourites among them of course， and also some he doesn’t approve of—as would any person。 （Of course， I don’t， like him， find poor parakeets or grey squirrels annoying， nor am I able to not get queasy about the unpleasant sides of nature—I might not fault the predator， but I do pity the prey。）。 Nature is all around us， yet in our daily lives， ‘civilised’ as we call ourselves， most of us have all but cut ourselves from it。 As the author writes， ‘we have become estranged from the rhythms of nature’ （this is in contrast to Japanese culture which has words for moon-viewing （tsukimi）， viewing the cherry blossoms （hanami） and even leaf viewing （momijigiri）—a connect with nature lacking in others， and more so in modern life）。 We try to master and control it or fear it， rather than treating it with the respect or love it deserves。 Even if not as intently as the author， if we would stop for a moment and take in the wonders that the world around us has—from the smallest to the largest thing—not only would our daily lives be a little brighter， perhaps， one would be able to avoid catastrophes like the one we have landed ourselves in now。 I really enjoyed reading the book， which also led me to look up a lot of British birds that I was unfamiliar with like dunnocks， firecrests etc。 My favourite part though turned out to be a very straightforward sentence about the Harvest Moon—‘The Harvest Moon is simply the full moon that occurs nearest the autumn equinox’， for this was the full moon I stood up on my terrace looking at just the day I was reading this book， and indeed the next evening in line with the moon festival and Tsukimi！A wonderful read for birders and nature lovers。4。5 stars（p。s。 There’s a ‘Gods’s daisy chain’ quote which Wodehouse fans will enjoy; and my favourite fact that I discovered in the book was that the Bavarian term for squirrels translates to ‘Oak Kitten’！） 。。。more
Sara
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Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this。This is beautifully written， following a year in a town in London， on the Japanese approach of seasons。I found this very enjoyable， as I learnt both Japanese and British cultures， as we move through the seasons and the year， during the pandemic。Very well written， that I was able to almost visualise my version of the scenes described。Personally， for me， this was a slow read， but it did give me a good break from all the usual books I Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this。This is beautifully written， following a year in a town in London， on the Japanese approach of seasons。I found this very enjoyable， as I learnt both Japanese and British cultures， as we move through the seasons and the year， during the pandemic。Very well written， that I was able to almost visualise my version of the scenes described。Personally， for me， this was a slow read， but it did give me a good break from all the usual books I read， which for me， was very much appreciated。 。。。more
Jason
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The idea of 72 micro seasons really appeals to me， who doesn’t take a moment to notice when a season changes， there is always spotting the first blossom on a tree or noticing when that tree turns red， seemingly over night， imagine having 72 seasons…that is 72 times a year you can stop what you are doing and have a look to see what nature is up to （of course it does mean you get distracted from those YouTube videos 72 times in a year）。Like all of us in 2020 Lev was faced with a lockdown， not able The idea of 72 micro seasons really appeals to me， who doesn’t take a moment to notice when a season changes， there is always spotting the first blossom on a tree or noticing when that tree turns red， seemingly over night， imagine having 72 seasons…that is 72 times a year you can stop what you are doing and have a look to see what nature is up to （of course it does mean you get distracted from those YouTube videos 72 times in a year）。Like all of us in 2020 Lev was faced with a lockdown， not able to travel and see nature in all it’s glory he decides to explore the area around his house and taking inspiration from Japanese idea of 72 seasons he constructs his own versions。 The seasons are 5 to 6 days each and Lev restricts each chapter/season to 5 or 6 pages…each， once he had that all sorted it was time for nature to step up and do it’s part。 One of the things I love about Lev’s writing is his ability to make the reader see or hear things in a different way， after reading Into the Tangled Bank I was straight outside looking for bugs in the hedges， this time he tells us to sit down and listen so that’s what I did。 6pm in my back garden， Basingstoke， this is what I heard over 1minute:Cars on the ring roadA drill echoing off the housesMy dog chewing his footA magpie shouting at me that the bird table was out of meal wormsA really cool guy on his motorbike on the ring road going very fast and loudA mum shouting to her kid “Shut the F*** up or I’ll F****** give you a slap”Aaaah the joys of living in a housing estate。I could have walked further afield and heard some much better sounds but this is what I hear most of the time when out reading in my garden so I thought I’d share。 I would love to be able to identify birds from sight or sound as well as Lev does， he puts himself down a lot but he is still very quick to identify， I can identify the bird by sight if it stays still long enough， my failing is identifying their song， blooming useless。Lev’s writing is impeccable as always， he has a wicked sense of humour and this book is full of it， yes it is a nature book but it is so easy to read， instead of poetically describing a bird’s mating call that could bore many he tells us that the bird is gagging for it and that works for me， you can instantly picture the little bird singing for all its worth。 Now you should be warned there are a few swear words in these pages and I think that is perfectly acceptable， you ever seen a blue tit sitting on a branch and singing whilst looking right at you？ I have and I’m fairly certain it was being rather abusive towards me。 There are loads of interesting info here too， I never knew about the dark side of woodpeckers and there are some crazy facts about butterflies。This has been a joy to read， I’ve laughed loads and have been inspired yet again， if you’ve never read anything by this chap then you are missing out so get yourself a copy of all his books。Blog review: https://felcherman。wordpress。com/2021。。。 。。。more
Jessa
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How often have we ever stopped to appreciate a spider's web and the care that was taken to create it？ If you enjoy slow walks down the garden path， this book is perfect。 This nature-journal style book takes you by the hand and leads you on a walk with the author as an experience of intentional recognition of the seasons。 Through stories of romanticized walks， the author describes appreciating a bird song to noting the veins of leaves。 This book has stayed with me long after I finished it because How often have we ever stopped to appreciate a spider's web and the care that was taken to create it？ If you enjoy slow walks down the garden path， this book is perfect。 This nature-journal style book takes you by the hand and leads you on a walk with the author as an experience of intentional recognition of the seasons。 Through stories of romanticized walks， the author describes appreciating a bird song to noting the veins of leaves。 This book has stayed with me long after I finished it because of the writing style of the author， as you experience the journey through the seasons it feels like you were on the walks too。 I thoroughly enjoyed it and will reread it！This book was provided to me through NetGalley for an Honest Review。 。。。more
Stephen Dilley
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There is no shortage of recent books about nature， but Lev Parikian takes a very clever and original approach in this highly enjoyable book。 As Parikian points out， the division of the year into seasons is entirely arbitrary and artificial: while we have four， three and six are just as common， so Parikian decides to adopt the traditional Japanese custom of dividing the year into seventy-two microseasons， each lasting five or six days。 Variations in weather and climate mean that these microseason There is no shortage of recent books about nature， but Lev Parikian takes a very clever and original approach in this highly enjoyable book。 As Parikian points out， the division of the year into seasons is entirely arbitrary and artificial: while we have four， three and six are just as common， so Parikian decides to adopt the traditional Japanese custom of dividing the year into seventy-two microseasons， each lasting five or six days。 Variations in weather and climate mean that these microseasons won't necessarily all be the same year on year， but by breaking the year down into such small segments， Parikian creates an opportunity to look carefully at the world around him and notice the gradual， almost imperceptible changes which are constantly at work。 We follow Parikian through one cycle of 72 seasons， beginning in February 2020。 This obviously means that this is also a chronicle of the first year of Covid-19， and the scope of Parikian's project changes as a result - rather than venturing further afield， his observations are confined to his neighbourhood in West Norwood， particularly his garden and his local cemetery where he takes his daily walks， lending the book a focus and clarity beyond what was originally conceived。 The pandemic casts a shadow over the book but is only mentioned on a handful of occasions， and is never allowed to dominate。 As Parikian observes， this only goes show how nature carries on regardless of human activity （or lack of it）。 Parikian proves an excellent companion and commentator through these seasons: never pious， worthy or sentimental， he offers the enthusiasm and exuberance of a recent convert， making us feel we are just as capable of paying close attention to our surroundings as he is。 His tone is often irreverent but he captures some moments of true beauty， and engages seriously with weightier questions of climate change and the impact of human behaviour on the natural world。 This is quite a slow read - the book would become a blur of details if devoured too quickly - and might be most enjoyed of all if read in real time with one chapter every five days or so。 This is not a weakness of the book but rather a reflection of what Parikian is trying to communicate: the benefits of slowing down and paying attention。 I loved this book and it has definitely made me think differently about the passing of time over a year and the changes we see in the world around us。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review。 。。。more
travelsalongmybookshelf
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Light Rains Sometimes Fall - Lev ParikianWe like to divide things up as a species and the year is no exception。 Here we have four seasons but in the ancient Japanese calendar it is divided into 72 microseasons。 Five days each， with the occasional six-dayer to even it up。 Each have beautiful names， specific to Japan’s island climate such as ‘east wind melts the ice’ and ‘frogs start singing’。 In this book the author uses the micro seasons to look at the natural world in his local patch， the famil Light Rains Sometimes Fall - Lev ParikianWe like to divide things up as a species and the year is no exception。 Here we have four seasons but in the ancient Japanese calendar it is divided into 72 microseasons。 Five days each， with the occasional six-dayer to even it up。 Each have beautiful names， specific to Japan’s island climate such as ‘east wind melts the ice’ and ‘frogs start singing’。 In this book the author uses the micro seasons to look at the natural world in his local patch， the familiar and the everyday。Just a couple of fabulous moments from this book that I have loved:I started this book in the middle as I thought I would read about the season I am currently in。 ‘Fruit falls to the ground’ 23-27 August was my first micro season。 I was immediately caught by ‘two simple truths: there’s a lot more out there than anyone sees， and you can’t see without looking。’ This really resonated with me， it’s not until you really start looking that you do in fact see so much more， this micro season in my little patch revealed huge numbers of butterflies， tortoiseshells and my favourite Peacocks， hugely abundant， warming themselves on the brick wall by our back door， it has been a simple pleasure to sit and watch them so close up。 I found myself smiling as I read with the observations， the open mouthed magic and wonder of looking at intricate spiders webs， and then a dead pigeon on the grass and the magic is somehow forgotten…this book has given me real joy。 The way the author writes is so natural， it’s like he is just chatting with ease and reading makes you feel good and also keen to get out and about and have a look， I certainly am going to look for Ivy Bees with their ginger fuzz in my overgrown patch of garden now！The more I read， the more I wanted to read and to be honest I could pick out so many fabulous little moments from this book it would be the worlds longest review - so I’ll leave it at that。This is the perfect book to have to hand to pick up and dip in and out of。 The warm humour and observations shine through， a wonderful companion to the evenings closing in and to journey through our glorious seasons， all 72 of themThanks to Elliot and Thompson for my copy of this book 。。。more
Lisa of Hopewell
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I learned of this book here: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=R7OMd。。。 I learned of this book here: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=R7OMd。。。 。。。more
Kid Ferrous
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Lev Parikian’s beautiful book is a very clever and unique melding of Japanese wisdom and British pragmatism。 In seventy-two short chapters he views the changes in the British seasons through the prism of the Japanese concept of micro-seasons。 Wandering his favourite local areas including his own garden， the surrounding streets， park and local cemetery， he spots beauty in the wild as well as the mundane。 We get delightful chapters entitled “Sogginess Prevails” and “Starling Hullabaloo” to remind Lev Parikian’s beautiful book is a very clever and unique melding of Japanese wisdom and British pragmatism。 In seventy-two short chapters he views the changes in the British seasons through the prism of the Japanese concept of micro-seasons。 Wandering his favourite local areas including his own garden， the surrounding streets， park and local cemetery， he spots beauty in the wild as well as the mundane。 We get delightful chapters entitled “Sogginess Prevails” and “Starling Hullabaloo” to remind us that we definitely are still in Britain。 There is something wonderfully non-digital about this book which offers a welcome break from our hectic modern lives。 。。。more
Kelly
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An enjoyable look at a year in a town in London by a local naturalist in the midst of the pandemic。 Reads like a well written detailed journal with bits of humor about the things the author observes while out and about。 The author describes all of the boots that catches his eye in such a way that the reader can visualize the biodiversity of the authors neighborhood。
Chantal Lyons
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