For a lot of people, this is the best month of the year, and yet, more suicides tend to happen in gogatsu (五月, May) than any other month, according to a report by the Kōseirōdōshō (厚生労働省, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare). Despite the glorious satsukibare (五月晴れ, sunny May weather), the tsutsuji (つつじ, azaleas) in full bloom and traditional spring delights such as hatsugatsuo (初鰹, first bonito of the season) gracing the table, May — otherwise known as satsuki (皐月 or 五月) — is tinged with sorrow.
My friend Ayumi says she hates May and the entire spring season, and ticked off the reasons: kafunshō (花粉症, hay fever), mukumi (むくみ, swelling, aka edema or dropsy), hadaare (肌荒れ, skin break-outs) — not to mention the fact that Ayumi got married in April and was divorced a year later, in May. "Haru wa daikkirai" (春はだいっきらい, "I hate spring") is her annual refrain, and she makes it a point to stay home during this time as much as possible.
True, spring is fraught with trouble — especially for the modern woman who has all that work-life balance to figure out as well as battling the kōishō (後遺症, after-effects) of winter colds and the hectic hanbōki (繁忙期, busy time) of April. According to Edo Period celebrity doctor Kaibara Ekken (貝原益軒) (1630-1714), April to May is when mizu (水, water) is trapped in various parts of the body, causing swelling and hie (冷え, chill), the widely acknowledged enemy No. 1 of the Japanese woman. And for centuries, the most effective way to combat hie has been deemed to be the o-furo (お風呂, bath). A good long soak in the tub or at least an ashiyu (足湯, soaking of the feet in hot water) after coming home from work is mandatory for warding off May illnesses — and this goes for both men and women.