"Shousho", lesser heat solar term

Shousho or Shōsho, 小暑, is the 11th of the 24 solar terms in Japan. In English, it is often called lesser heat. This solar term arrives when the sun reaches 105° ecliptic longitude. Usually, it marks the period when the rainy season begins to fade and true summer heat settles in. 

It’s not yet the hottest stretch of the year, that belongs to the next (12th) solar term Taisho, “Greater Heat." But Shōsho is the quiet doorway into midsummer, when humidity rises, cicadas stir, and the air begins to feel heavy with July. In 2026, it falls from July 7th to 22nd. As such, this year it starts on Tanabata, the Star Festival, hence the feature photo of this post.

During Shōsho, nature shifts quietly toward midsummer. Warm winds begin to blow, lotus flowers open in ponds, and young hawks take their first practice flights. In the fields, early summer crops like cucumbers, tomatoes, and edamame grow quickly in the rising heat, while rice paddies move from their tender green to a deeper midsummer shade.