“Tōji (冬至)” is the 22nd of 24 solar terms (節氣) in the traditional East Asian calendars.

“Tōji” literally means winter reach, and actually means winter solstice. On this day, the day time is the shortest and the night time is the longest in the northern hemisphere.

In Japan, people say if you have a hot bath scented with yuzu (an aromatic Japanese citron), and eat pumpkins, you won’t catch cold.

Winter solstice is the Yin energy reaching the peak level and Yang energy is reborn at the same moment. It is called “Ichiyo Raihuku (一陽来復)” which means “return of spring” or “favorable turn of fortune”, and in ancient times, people used to think from this day luck turns better.

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