Microseason: First Layers of Haze

SPRING

RAIN WATER

FIRST LAYERS OF HAZE

23 - 27 February

Harugasumi, Spring haze, drapes itself across the landscape, causing distant mountains and scenery to appear faint and blurred, orchestrating an ethereal atmosphere. There are a multitude of variations to the word kasumi, each illustrating a slightly different nuance, offering precise imagery or feeling to prose.

Kasumi, haze: A mist, typically in Spring, that drifts and lingers, appearing as a hazy white veil over the foothills of mountains.

Kiri, fog: A meteorological term referring to the phenomenon where tiny water droplets or particles in the air reduce visibility. If the horizontal visibility is less than one kilometer, it is classified as kiri. Kiri ends to be dense and commonly seen in mountainous or coastal areas.

Moya, mist: A meteorological term referring to the phenomenon where tiny water droplets or particles in the air reduce visibility. If the horizontal visibility extends beyond one kilometer, it is called moya.

Amamoya, rain mist: The moya seen on rainy days.

Asamoya, morning mist: The moya only seen in the wee hours of the morning before midday sun.

Yūmoya, evening mist: The moya only seen in the evening.

Oboro, nighttime haze: The delicate blur of the moon at night.

Photo credit: Momoko Nakamura