In Japan, nature is observed with remarkable precision. Long before the modern calendar, time was tracked using the 24 Sekki—a traditional solar calendar that divides the year into 24 distinct seasonal shifts, each lasting about 15 days.
Rather than four broad seasons, the Sekki calendar highlights subtle changes in the environment: a shift in evening light, a soft turn in the wind, or the exact moment a flower blooms.
Each month bridges two of these micro-seasons. This guide explores the two Sekki unfolding in Tokyo right now—and how their spirit is captured in your room’s floral arrangement.
In Rhythm with Tokyo’s Seasons
October in Tokyo:
The Two Shifts
Kanro / 寒露
8–22 October
"Cold Dew"
As autumn deepens across Tokyo, the crisp morning air brings a sharper chill, turning the dewdrops icy against the fading green. Wild chrysanthemums begin to uncurl their petals in gardens, and migratory birds cross the autumn skies from the north.
Sōkō / 霜降
23 October – 6 November
"First Frost"
The final stretch of deep autumn settles over the city. Mornings grow brisk enough for the season's very first frost to dust the ground, while the leaves on maple and ivy trees across Tokyo quietly turn to brilliant shades of amber and crimson.
心あてに
折らばや折らむ
初霜の
置きまどはせる
白菊の花
—凡河内躬恒
『古今和歌集』
“If I were to pluck one,
I must guess at random—
for the first frost has fallen,
blurring where the dew ends
and the white chrysanthemums begin.”
—Ōshikōchi no Mitsune
(Kokin Wakashū, 905 AD)
Seasonal Poetry
Flora in Focus
Nishikigi / 錦木
Winged Spindle
Renowned for its distinctive corky, winged branches and dramatic foliage, which transforms into a brilliant crimson in late October. Highly prized in autumn arrangements, its architectural silhouette and vivid, fiery leaves bring seasonal depth, tension, and texture to freestyle and classic forms alike.
Sankirai / 山帰来
Smilax / China Root
Celebrated for its arching, woody vines heavy with clusters of glossy, spherical berries that turn from deep orange to rich ruby red. In Ikebana, Sankirai introduces linear rhythm, natural asymmetry, and a sense of wild woodland abundance, perfectly mirroring the harvest atmosphere of late autumn.
Shūmei-kiku / 秋明菊
Japanese Anemone
Despite its name, this is an anemone rather than a chrysanthemum. Valued for its elegant, cupped white or soft pink petals atop tall, delicate stems, it sways gracefully in the cool October breeze, bringing a refined lightness and serene spatial presence to mid-autumn compositions.
