Microseason: Irises Bloom

The second microseason of the current solar term, "Summer Solstice", and the 29th microseason of the year, is Irises Bloom 菖蒲華 Ayame hana saku. Thing is, the ayame iris - Iris sanguinea - is not in bloom now! It typically blooms in May. The iris that you are most likely to find at the end of June is the shobu, or Japanese iris. 

In current day, the microseason "irises bloom", which in 2026 is on from June 26th to July 1st, usually coincides with the peak of rainy season. The skies are overcast and you can feel the dampness. It is also early typhoon season. 'Chinowa Kuguri' coincides with this microseason annually too. The 'chigaya' is up at many shrines around Japan right now, many start today for just two or three days. Others have the 'chigaya' up for longer, until around July 5th.

I have written several times in the past that I find the microseasons eerily accurate, but this one is an exception. In my area of Japan, the lowlands of Saitama Prefecture, not only are the ayame iris flowers finished, but all iris variations are pretty much finished. But the other phenomenon of the season ring true, such as overcast, rainy days and the early typhoons of the year.