Doyō no Ushi no Hi
Doyō no Ushi no Hi
土用の丑の日
Today is Doyō no Ushi no Hi (土用の丑の日).
今日は「土用の丑の日」です。
Doyō (土用) is a period that comes at the changing of each of the four seasons; it occurs four times a year, and each period lasts for 18 days.
「土用」は四季の変わり目の時期で、年に4回、それぞれ18日間あります。
It shares the same pronunciation with doyō (土曜 – meaning “Saturday”), but the kanji and the meaning are different (Incidentally, today is “Sunday”).
“Saturday” を意味する「土曜」と同音ですが、漢字と意味が異なります（ちなみに今日は「日曜」です）。
In addition, Ushi no Hi (丑の日) is the day that corresponds to Ushi (丑) in the cycle of dates based on the twelve zodiac signs.
また、「丑の日」は十二支に基づく日付のうち、「丑」にあたる日のことです。
There is/are Doyō Ushi no Hi in each season, and it is most well-known in summer. On this day, we have a custom of eating something beginning with u (う), especially unagi (うなぎ – meaning “eel”), which also has the role of preventing summer fatigue.
各季節で「土用の丑の日」はありますが、夏が最もよく知られており、この日「う」のつくもの、特に夏バテ防止にもなる「ウナギ」を食べる習慣があります。
Given the record-breaking heat this year, please take extra care to avoid heatstroke.
今年は記録的な猛暑ということで、熱中症には十分注意してください。
