These days, spring and autumn are getting shorter in Japan.
Until about 20 years ago, the country's four seasons were evenly balanced.
Now, we have excessively long summers and winters, with spring and fall passing in the blink of an eye.
After an unusually hot and prolonged summer this year, it suddenly turned cold.
According to the old calendar, April 1 was the day to remove the cotton batting from padded garments, and June 1 and October 1 were designated clothing changeover days. School uniforms switched between summer and winter attire on these days.
Furthermore, the wearing periods for summer kimono garments, such as lined kimonos (awase), single-layered kimonos (hitoe), and ro (light summer silk), were strictly defined. My great-grandmother and grandmother adhered strictly to these rules.
However, I live in the modern era and choose my kimono based on the temperature and humidity of the day, not the old calendar.
Until about ten years ago, I followed the old calendar, but the past few years have been different.
Fundamentally, clothing exists to keep us comfortable. It should keep us warm when it's cold and cool when it's hot. I've come to believe that we shouldn't endure discomfort for the sake of tradition.
I suspect that the climate didn't change that drastically until just a few decades ago. That's why dressing according to the calendar didn't cause any inconvenience.
This makes me realize just how significant the changes of the past decade or so have been.
Last week, I had the air conditioner on, but today, I'm using the heater.
Could it have taken just a few decades to adapt to what should have taken centuries?
The day I decided to rely on the weather forecast instead of the calendar to choose my clothes, I murmured, "Grandma, I'm sorry."