Spring in Japan: Hazy Beginnings and the Beauty of Ma

The Poetry of Spring in Japan: Hazy Beginnings and New Chapters

“Spring, hazy, and a temple fair.”(春で朧で御縁日 - Haru de Oboro de Goennichi)

This poetic line from the novel Nihonbashi by Izumi Kyōka (1873–1939) captures the kind of spring in Japan I feel close to these days — quiet, dreamlike, and drifting at the edge of clarity.

For many years, I worked at a university. April marked the start of the academic year — a time of fresh faces, rapid changes, and a rush of energy to kick things off.

I imagine it’s the same for many people in Japan — students, professionals, entrepreneurs — April is a season of motion.

A calligraphy called "Oboro - Haze"

Spring in Japan: A Season of New Beginnings

In Japan, spring is synonymous with new beginnings. The academic year starts, companies welcome fresh employees, and cherry blossoms fade into the backdrop of bustling cities.

But now, as an artist, I find myself in a different rhythm.

Spring in Japan comes to me more softly now, like mist settling on the surface of a still pond.

Finding Meaning in the Hazy In-Between

Maybe it’s a kind of dissonance from the world, but like the empty space in calligraphy, even the hazy in-between has meaning.

In Japanese aesthetics, the concept of Ma (間) — the space between — reminds us that absence and stillness hold as much value as presence and movement.

This spring, I find myself embracing that quiet space, reflecting on how beginnings don’t always need to be bold and loud. Sometimes, they can be soft and subtle, like a new brushstroke on a blank canvas.

Wishing You a Fresh Start This Spring in Japan

To everyone in Japan beginning a new chapter this April — I wish you a fresh and meaningful start to the new year.

Whether your spring is filled with motion or stillness, may it bring you clarity, purpose, and quiet beauty.

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