The Beginning of Spring (February 3 - 20) Risshun 立春 

Episode Description:
In this hopeful episode, "The Beginning of Spring," Alexis and Kit notice signs of winter's end among the scents of the trees, the songs of birds, and a special, perhaps romantic, feeling in the air. Hiro's Corner takes a look at a boggy perennial.
Seasonal Words:
Lingering cold, crisp weather, shallow spring, pruning and preparing the garden, controlled burns, spring light, catkins and pussy willows, maple tapping and maple syrup, bush warblers, plum blossoms, cats in love, Valentine’s Day, pancakes and Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year.

Snow Becomes Rain (February 19 - March 4) Usui 雨水

Episode Description:
In this stirring episode, Alexis and Kit return to the garden just as it is re-awakening with early flowers, and eagerly expect the spring thaw. In Hiro’s Corner, a look at the peach blossom and the spring festival it inspired.
Seasonal Words:
March hares, the month of expectation, running streams, melting snow,  spring thaw, The Secret Garden, heather blossoms, quince blossoms, peach blossoms, witch hazel, crocuses, wild geese returning, stormy weather, Saint Chad’s Day, onsen, and Hina Matsuri

Wintering Insects Awake (March 5 - 19) Keichitsu 啓蟄

Episode Description:
In this invigorating episode, "Wintering Insects Awake," Alexis and Kit are swept away by March winds to the mountains and the seaside as they traverse this season of awakenings. Our co-hosts reflect on a year of Season by Season, while looking forward to the seasons still to come. In Hiro's Corner, a trio of fragrant plants are on the menu: ninniku, nira, and nobiru.
Seasonal Words:
March winds, March mountains, laughing mountains, spring mud, spring mists, wintering insects, dandelions, cowslip primroses, the seaside in spring, clam digging, eating shellfish, firefly squid, the first butterfly of spring, spring sunsets, rainbows, St. Patrick's Day, graduation day in Japan, niniku, nira, nobiru - garlic, garlic chives, long-stamen chives, butterbur scapes

The Spring Equinox (March 20 - April 3) Shunbun 春分

Episode Description:
In this reflective episode, Alexis and Kit joyfully welcome brighter days, remember springs past amid wildflower meadows and cherry blossoms, and look forward to the shining future. Hiroaki Sato leaves “Hiro’s Corner” to join our co-hosts for an interview about haiku.
Seasonal Words:
Tsukushi or field horsetail, foraging, spring dawn, nanohana, California mustard, spring meadows, shining wind, spring peace, spring storms, ryuuten ni noboru - ride the dragon, swallows, sparrows, and birdsong, Vernal Equinox Day in Japan, botamochi, seed sowing, wildflowers, playing in fields, willows and cherry blossoms.

Clear and Bright (April 4 - 18) Seimei 清明

Episode Description:
In this episode, Alexis and Kit celebrate the season known as "Clear and Bright," discuss seasonal keywords known as kigo, and share the joys of the beginning of spring around the world.
Seasonal Words:
Storms, daffodils, haze, sunlight, larks, cherry blossoms, peas, violets, eggs, pink phlox, robins, frogs, Easter, and Qingming.

Grain Rain (April 19 - May 4) Koku 穀雨

Episode Description:
In this bounteous episode, "Grain Rain," Alexis and Kit are full of anticipation for a season in full bloom, beginning with the branching out from April’s ripeness into May’s freshness. Author Winifred Bird joins our co-host for an interview discussing her new book, “Eating Wild Japan” from Stonebridge Press.
Seasonal Words:
April showers, sansai (wild mountain vegetables), spring fatigue, spring naps, flowering dogwood, wisteria, tadpoles, Arbor Day, May Day, Hachijuhachiya - 88th Night, spring tea picking, Golden Week, Greenery Day, Earth Day

The Beginning of Summer (May 5 - 19) Rikka 立夏

Episode Description:
In this episode, Alexis and Kit explore the warm beginnings of summer through an array of early summer delights including irises, clouds, and festivals.
Seasonal Words:
Ice Saints, farmyard animals like hens and lambs, fresh greenery, irises, cuckoos, noctilucent clouds, kites, carp banners, Kodomo no Hi, Mother's Day, and rhubarb

Fine Weather (May 20 - June 5) Shoman 小満

Episode Description:
Join Alexis and Kit for a sunny day in the garden in this episode celebrating “the season when the weather becomes fine and everything starts to go well,” or Fine Weather. Birdsong and the delight of growing things await us during the brighter days of this fine season. In Hiro’s Corner, we look at three rare kigo of early summertime.
Seasonal Words:
Gardens indoors and outdoors, geraniums, fine weather, koromogae - changing out the clothes for the season, bird song, skylarks, lupines, soramame or broad beans, weeds and weeding, fukurokake or fruit bag hanging, tomatoes, ladybugs or ladybirds, ango, banryoku, kusabue, and dusk in the garden. 

The Time of Planting Grains (June 6 - 19) Boshu 芒種

Episode Description:
Hydrangeas are blooming, fireflies are flitting, and rice fields are bustling with activity in this season, "The Time for Planting Grains." Joining Alexis and Kit in a new segment is Hiroaki Sato, sharing haiku about a special kigo for this rainy mini-season.
Seasonal Words:
Rice paddies and planting, mud, mold, mosquitoes, rain, sunsets, hydrangeas, roses, loquats, strawberries, fireflies, mold

The Summer Solstice (June 21 - July 6) Geshi 夏至

Episode Description:
In this mouth-watering episode, Kit and Alexis celebrate the longest day of the year by dining al fresco! Our co-hosts prepare for picnics and barbecues, consider the outdoor activities of berry picking and fishing, and savor cooling foods. In Hiro's Corner, an examination of what we enjoy about shorter nights.
Seasonal Words:
The summer solstice, midsummer celebrations, barbecues and picnics, berry season and berry picking, blackberries, blueberries, berry pie, Juneberries, mulberries, cherries, plums, apricots, plum wine, fishing, eggplants, cucumbers, ice-cream, honey and honeybees, somen nagashi and nagashi somen, cicadas, short nights, and the Strawberry moon.

The Beginning of Midsummer (July 7 - 21) Shosho 小暑

Episode Description:
Summer heats up in this episode of Growing Heat. Join Alexis and Kit as they appreciate cumulonimbus clouds, get ready to celebrate a star festival, and bask in the resplendence of some very special flowers.
Seasonal Words:
Morning glories, Chinese lantern plants, lotuses, parasols, summer evening thunderstorms, cumulonimbus clouds, summer butterflies, cicadas, hawks, windchimes, crickets, Tanabata, St. Swithin's Day and melons and minor heat

Sweltering Heat (July 22 - August 6) Taisho 大暑

Episode Description:
This balmy episode features special guest Elijah Sobel, discussing swimming holes. Alexis and Kit chill out by finding ways to stay cool during record-breaking hot temperatures, focusing on “cooling things” such as iced tea, goldfish, and “uchimizu.” In Hiro's Corner, a refreshing look at the coolness of far-away twinkling lights.
Seasonal Words:
Eel, edamame, melon, iced tea, swimming holes, summer refuges to escape the heat, wetting the sidewalk to cool off - or - uchimizu, siestas and summer naps, goldfish and summer festivals, summer plays and theaters, coolness of far off twinkling lights and Lammas.

The Beginning of Autumn (August 7 - 21) Risshu 立秋

Episode Description:
Alexis and Kit bid farewell to summer and welcome in the harvest season in this episode, "the Beginning of Autumn," featuring nostalgic summer fruits, a soundscape of the Dog Days of summer, and an awe-inspiring meteor shower. In "Hiro's Corner," we take a look at a special seasonal fish.
Seasonal Words:
The Dog Days of summer, ayu, fog, delta breezes, onions, blackberries, figs, zinnias, Obon, Perseid meteor shower, and ayu (sweetfish)

Fading Heat (August 23 - September 6) Shosho 処暑

Episode Description:
In this very vegetal episode, author John Forti joins Alexis and Kit to discuss his new book “The Heirloom Gardener.” Our co-hosts take a look at the bounty of the late summer vegetable garden and admire a beautiful visitor to the garden: the dragonfly.
Seasonal Words:
Vegetable gardens, garlic, basil, sunflowers, nightshade, asters, grasses, tomatoes, dragonflies, and zucchini.

White Dew (September 7 - 22) Hakuro 白露

Episode Description:
The season known as “White Dew” spans from September 7 - 22, and reflects a changing of the light and the beginning of autumnal journeys for Alexis and Kit; a moon-viewing party brings together famous voices in haiku; and "Hiro's Corner" is particularly fruitful in an exploration of grapes.
Seasonal Words:
Autumn grasses, the seven flowers of autumn, quail, dew, traveling, journeys, new beginnings, back to school, darkening days, autumn sunsets, autumn vigor, crows, ripening fruits, mushrooms, grapes, the harvest moon, horse chestnuts, roadside flowers of cosmos and goldenrod, respect for the aged day, Bilbo Baggins’s and Frodo’s birthday, grapes

The Autumn Equinox (September 22 - October 7) Shubun 秋分

Episode Description:
In this exuberant episode, Alexis and Kit are joined by Annie Patterson and Peter Blood of “Rise Up & Sing” in discussing songs and music of the harvest season. Our co-hosts explore the community-driven traditions around the harvest and thanks-giving, and celebrations of the equinox around the world. In Hiro’s Corner, we gain perspective on rice paddies drying up.
Seasonal Words:
Harvest, harvest home, the Green Corn Ceremony, giving thanks, apple cider and apple “bees”, Mabon, Chuseok, Higan, Ta no Kami, Inari, Corn Spirit, the stranger, the maiden, the witch, the old woman, corn spirit animals, and John Barleycorn

Cold Dew (October 8 - 22) Kanro 寒露

Episode Description:
Alexis and Kit take an autumn walk in this episode, "Cold Dew." What autumnal surprises await as they wander through the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch? Will they make it back to the kitchen before October mist sets in? In Hiro's Corner, we take a delightful look at an unusual seasonal transformation.
Seasonal Words:
Autumn sky, sparrows turning into clams, sweater weather, nochi no koromogae - changing out clothes for the season, migrating geese, bell crickets, acorns, apples, pumpkins and pumpkin patches, gloom and mist, sweet potatoes, pomegranates, chrysanthemums, autumn appetites, and sparrows turning into clams

First Frost (October 23rd - November 6) Soukou 霜降

Episode Description:
In this chilly (and chilling!) episode, Kit and Alexis journey through the eerie, melancholy season of Halloween and the Day of the Dead; will they escape alive, or will they meet their grim deaths as predicted in their calaveras literarias?! In Hiro’s Corner, a closer look at the seasonal concept of “Winter’s Neighbor,” or departing autumn.
Seasonal Words:
Dying leaves, chilling things, mist, autumn deer calls, cold nights, storms, leaves in the wind, shadows, sekishu - the regret of autumn, Halloween, Allhallowtide, Samhain, black cats as symbols of good luck, Jack-o’-lanterns, soul cakes, Day of the Dead, All Souls Day, kimamori - the guardian persimmon, akifukashi - the deepening of autumn, and fuyujitaku - preparations for winter.

The Beginning of Winter (November 7 - 21) Ritto 立冬

Episode Description:
In this brisk episode of Season by Season, Alexis and Kit savor the last moments of autumn. Join them as they kick through the fallen leaves under persimmon trees, prepare their appetites for heartier fare, and learn about the festival of lights Diwali. Hiro's Corner features an interlude with a uniquely autumnal kind of rain.
Seasonal Words:
Ramen, shigure (late autumn passing showers), drizzling rain, cold weather, bare trees, fallen leaves, gingko trees, persimmons, sanma, snow crab, hearty soups, Diwali, and shigure

Light Snow (November 22 - December 6) Shosetsu 小雪

Episode Description:
This reflective episode features an interview with special guest Lev Parikian, author of the book “Light Rains Sometimes Fall.” Alexis and Kit share Thanksgiving memories and mouthwatering recipes as they welcome in a flamboyantly festive time of year. Hiro’s Corner takes a look at the coats that warm us in winter.
Seasonal Words:
Twilight of the year, woodsmoke, takibi - bonfires, sweet potatoes, burning leaves, chestnuts, making amends, good will, Thanksgiving, favorite Thanksgiving foods, cranberries, Thanksgiving memories, first snow, traveling during the holidays, fruitcake, black cake, Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving leftovers, Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas tree shopping, winter coats, the Waraiko festival, taking stock of the year, and gratitude.

Heavy Snow (December 7 - 20) Taisetsu 大雪

Episode Description:
This episode of Season by Season finds Kit and Alexis preparing for the darkening days of winter. Together they discuss cold weather and snow, are cheered by winter birdsong, and find light and warmth in friendship during this merry season. Hiro's Corner explores the snowy landscapes that shape our artistic ideas of wintertime.
Seasonal Words:
Snow, snowy landscapes, hawks and falconry, snow bones, winter birds, winter berries and greenery, light in the darkness, rosemary, holly, anticipation and preparation, Shogatsu koto hajime, Yule, Santa Lucia, Hanukkah, Winter scenery, hawks

Winter Solstice (December 21 - January 4) Touji 冬至

Episode Description:
In this special double-length episode, Alexis and Kit celebrate the long Winter Solstice night with music, recipes, books, and joyful traditions of the holiday season. Together, they look forward to the coming new year: the Year of the Tiger.
Seasonal Words:
The Winter Solstice, the wren and the robin, the holly and the oak king, the Yule Cat, the Dongzhi Festival, making mochi, ozoni soup, sunrise walks, winter spirals, carolling and carols, The Nutcracker, Charles Dickens, blue Christmas, gingerbread, Lille Julaften or Little Christmas Eve, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, hot drinks, wassail and wassailing, amazake, milk & cookies, Jolabokflod or the Christmas Book Flood, Christmas Cake, Boxing Day and the Feast of Saint Stephen, Romjul, O-souji, Nengajo or New Years’ cards, osechi ryori, toshikoshi soba or year end soba, and New Year’s Eve.

Early Cold (January 5 - 20) Shokan 小寒

Episode Description:
In the first Season by Season episode of the New Year, Alexis and Kit prepare for the upcoming year while discussing the season of keeping resolutions, visits from snow crows, windy winter weather, and early growing plants that herald the coming spring. Hiro's Corner takes a closer look at the Japanese calendar and the naming of the month of January.
Seasonal Words:
New beginnings, “firsts”, new year’s resolutions, coming of age day, Plough Monday, snow, winter storms, cold crows, cozy indoors, winter wind, the seven herbs of spring, amaryllis, paperwhite narcissus, snowdrops, old names for January and "intimate month"

Deep Cold (January 20 - February 2) Daikan 大寒

Episode Description:
In this fortifying episode, Alexis and Kit weather the coldest days of the year by taking part in indoor pleasures, admiring the austere beauty of the winter landscape, and looking forward to spring. Hiro’s Corner takes a deeper look at the seasonal phrase “big cold.”
Seasonal Words:
Indoor Pleasures, including reading, knitting, visiting museums, seeing plays, ballet, and opera; great snowstorms, icicles, resting and naps, kotatsu, hot water bottles, stark scenery, bleached grasses, bare branches, evergreens, bundling up, houseplants, the need for green, Setsubun, Groundhog Day, and spring being just around the corner.