Spring has Sprung!

Hi everyone,

Spring has sprung! (春がやって来た！) For tonight at exactly 11:46 (just a few minutes ago), the tilt of the Earth's axis (地球の自転軸の傾き) was neither toward (～に向かって) nor away from (～から離れて) the sun. The result is an equal amount of both daylight and darkness, known as the Vernal (or Spring) Equinox. The word "vernal" is an adjective (形容詞) for spring (春) while "equinox" comes from Latin (ラテン語), with "equi" meaning "equal" and "nox" meaning "night." 

So, even though it is still a little chilly (肌寒い) outside, astrologically speaking (占星術的に言えば), spring is here!  

See you at E-Style,

Alan

P.S. Another definition (定義・語義) of "spring" as a noun (名詞) is 「ばね」; as a verb (動詞), it can mean 「跳ねる」. In this post's title, "Spring has Sprung!" is a pun (ダジャレ) meaning 「春がばねのように飛んで来た！」. 

P.P.S.「秋分」is called the Autumnal Equinox in English. This year, it will occur on September 23rd at 11:04 p.m.

                                                                

2026: The Year of the Horse🐴

Happy New Year!

Hi everybody,

A happy and healthy New Year to all of you! I hope that all of your dreams come true (夢が叶う) in 2026: The Year of the Horse. Jack and I are looking forward to seeing (and teaching) you at E-Style when classes resume (再び始まる) on Monday, January 5th. Until then (それまで), take care, enjoy the break, and good luck with your New Year's resolutions (新年の抱負).

All the best in Reiwa 8,

Alan