November 7 was Ritto, one of the 24 solar calendar terms. On the traditional calendar, it is said to be the first day of winter. At the pickle store Daiyasu in the city of Kyoto, the process of making senmaizuke pickles has begun, using large turnips. The craftspeople peeled Shogoin turnips weighing 2 kilograms and sliced them to a thickness of 2.6 millimeters. They pickled them by layering them in a barrel and putting a weight on top.

Note: The 24 solar terms are based on the ancient Chinese calendar that divided the year into 24 periods. Modern Japan still enjoys events based on many of these terms. For more information, please refer to the October 25 installment of this series.

Japanese original

Easy Japanese news is taken from the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun, a newspaper for children. This is perfect material for anyone studying Japanese who has learned hiragana and katakana. We encourage beginners to read the article in English followed by Japanese, or vice versa, to test their comprehension.

A fresh set will be published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m., Japan time. Click/tap here for past installments.

Intermediate learners who do not need English assistance can directly access the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun site here. Furigana (hiragana) is added to all kanji in the text.