The Lunar Calendar in Japan
Very interesting piece on the history of the lunar calendar, which is still used for
determining dates of certain festivals
Calendars and Their History
Has detailed information on various non-Gregorian calendar systems, including the
Chinese lunar calendar
The Solar Terms and the Chinese
Calendar
Very detailed information on the traditional calendar, with not only the names of the
“earthy branches” or years, but of the “heavenly stems” (associated with the
five elements, combine with the branches to produce a 60-year cycle) and “solar terms”
(something between a month and a season)
Ancient Japan – Astronomy
and Folklore
Star lore, constellations and festivals
Conversion Table for
Japanese and Western Calendar
A handy chart that shows Western year, era-name, year in the Chinese calendar cycle,
and name of the reigning Shogun for each year from 1748 to 1868
Find Your Chinese Astrology Sign
Are you a Rat or a Tiger? Check out your sign in the Chinese Zodiac. Just hit
“skip” if the site gives you an ad first.
Japanese Days of the Week: the “Seven
Luminaries”
Weekday names are older than one might assume, and parallel those used in the
West.
Names of
Months in Japan
Month names weren’t always just numbers. These are the old literary names
for the months.