(きょう)

today

(しゅうぶんのひ)

Autumnal Equinox Day (national holiday)

(くがつ)

September

(にじゅうさんにち)

the 23rd (day of the month)

(にほん)

Japan

(やすみ)

holiday, rest

(ひ)

day

(ひる)

noon / daytime

(よる)

night

(ながい)

long

(だいたい)

about, roughly

(おなじ)

same

(これから)

from now on

(だんだん)

gradually

(そして)

and; and then

(すこしずつ)

little by little

(すずしい)

cool (temperature)

(ころ)

around (a time), period

(おひがん)

Ohigan (Buddhist equinox week)

(かぞく)

family

(おはか)

grave

(いく)

to go

(ひと)

person / people

(たくさん)

a lot / many

(おはぎ)

ohagi (rice ball coated in sweet red bean paste)

(あまい)

sweet

(おかし)

sweets / snacks / confectionery

(たべる)

to eat

(おこめ)

rice (uncooked)

(あずき)

azuki (red) beans

(つくる)

to make

(はる)

spring

(ぼたもち)

botamochi (spring name for ohagi)

(なまえ)

name

(じき)

period, time, season

(すーぱー)

supermarket

(こんびに)

convenience store

(うる)

to sell

(てんき)

weather

(いい)

good

(そと)

outside

(あそぶ)

to play

(おおい)

many

polite copula / is, am, are

Describes states such as the mother panda being healthy and the baby being small.

to become

Expresses change of state — prices becoming higher, more buyers, the economy getting better.

called/named ~

Used to introduce or name something. In this article, 「鳥貴族」という店 means 'a store called Torikizoku'.

polite non-past tense

The polite non-past ～ます states what will happen — the funeral will continue.

but / however (at the start of a sentence)

でも opens a sentence that contradicts what came before. Here it switches the article from the good side of tourism to the problems it causes.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる/います. Can describe an action in progress or a state that continues from a past change.

今日は秋分の日

Today is Autumnal Equinox Day

今日、9月23日は「秋分の日」です。

Today, September 23, is Autumnal Equinox Day.

日本の休みの日です。

It is a national holiday in Japan.

この日は、昼と夜の長さがだいたい同じになります。

On this day, day and night are about the same length.

これから、夜がだんだん長くなります。

From now on, the nights gradually get longer.

そして、少しずつすずしくなります。

And little by little it gets cooler.

秋分の日のころは「お彼岸」といいます。

The period around Autumnal Equinox Day is called Ohigan.

お彼岸には、家族でお墓に行く人がたくさんいます。

During Ohigan, many people visit graves with their families.

そして、「おはぎ」という甘いお菓子を食べます。

They also eat a sweet called ohagi.

おはぎは、お米とあずきで作ります。

Ohagi is made from rice and azuki beans.

春のお彼岸にも、同じお菓子を食べます。

People eat the same sweet during the spring Ohigan, too.

でも、春は「ぼたもち」という名前になります。

But in spring, it goes by the name botamochi.

この時期は、スーパーやコンビニでも、おはぎをたくさん売っています。

At this time of year, even supermarkets and convenience stores sell lots of ohagi.

天気がいい日は、外で遊ぶ人も多いです。

On days with nice weather, many people also go out to have fun.