Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. You saw the word higan 彼岸 in the previous school news “National Holiday in Japan: 春分の日.” What is higan? I would like to explain about it a little bit more.
There are two higan 彼岸 period during or Equinoctial Week during the year. The first higan is 3 days before and after Vernal Equinox Day. The second is 3 days before and after Autumnal Equinox Day. Therefore a total of 7 days including the equinox day are called higan. It is the time to see again one’s ancestors who have passed on to the next life. During this period, people visit their family grave to pay respect to their ancestors. Higan also implies a chage of seasons. There is an old saying that “No heat or cold lasts beyond the Equinox Day. （暑さ寒さも彼岸まで）” It means the summer or winter seasons will end around that time.

March 19th News, from NILS Japanese language school.