April 17th marks International Haiku Day, a time to honor one of Japan’s most cherished traditions. A haiku is a short poem, traditionally capturing the beauty of nature or a fleeting moment in time. Written in a three-line structure with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5, haiku are deceptively simple yet deeply evocative, offering a glimpse into a poet’s world with just a few carefully chosen words.
Today, we are delighted to share a selection of haiku written by Ayako Otsubo, a member of the Ehime club in Japan. Through these verses, we travel to landscapes painted with fireworks (when she visited Germany), the quiet sound of autumn (in the northern USA), and the glow of a new year’s sunrise (at home, in Japan).
マロニエの梢を染める揚花火
Maronie no kozue o someru agehanabi
Fireworks soar high,
tinting the chestnut tree’s crown,
a fleeting moment.
音立てて木の実が落ちる石畳
Ototatete kinomi ga ochiru ishidatami
With a gentle thud,
autumn nuts fall to the stones—
whispers of the past.
満潮の海を染めたる初日の出
Michisio no umi o sometaru hatuhinode
The high tide ocean,
washed in hues of the new year,
greets the first sunrise.
Do these haiku transport you to these moments and places that moved Ayako? Now, it’s your turn! We invite members from all over the world to write their own haiku, inspired by a place you have traveled to on a Friendship Force journey—or perhaps your own hometown or country. You may send your haiku in your own language, as long as it follows the traditional 5-7-5 syllable structure (it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t follow the structure when translated).
Send your haiku to [email protected] and we may feature your poem in our April 17 post for Haiku Day! Let’s celebrate the art of haiku and share the beauty of our world, one verse at a time.
Note: This is an AI-assisted translation. We appreciate your understanding of any slight inaccuracies.