暦 - Koyomi

Did you know that there is an old way of saying the months in Japanese? For example, April is not yongatsu 四月, but uzuki, ウヅキ/卯月 (month of the rabbit). The interesting thing is that you still come across these old terms in modern Japan. I recently have been to an Okonomiyaki-restaurant お好み焼きレストラーン in Akebonokashi 曙橋. There, they still used the old names for months to classify different kinds of food. Japan and the calendar is a very interesting topic indeed. All 12 months and their old names below.

1月睦月ムツキ
2月如月キサラギ
3月弥生ヤヨイ
4月卯月ウヅキ
5月皐月サツキ
6月水無月ミナヅキ
7月文月フヅキ
8月葉月ハヅキ
9月長月ナガツキ
10月神無月カンナヅキ
11月霜月シモツキ
12月師走シワス

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