In Japan today, you can buy various vegetables all year round, but each vegetable has its own “best season” called 旬（しゅん）. Vegetables are roughly divided into spring vegetables, summer vegetables, autumn vegetables, and winter vegetables depending on their best season.
Vegetables in season are generally rich in nutrition and cheaper than in other seasons, so please enjoy them most in their 旬（しゅん）!
春野菜(はるやさい/Haru yasai) – Spring vegetables
Including: green peas, bamboo shoots, potatoes
Many spring vegetables are soft and do not last long, so eat them while they are fresh.
夏野菜(なつやさい/Natsu yasai) – Summer vegetables
Including: cucumbers, green peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins
Many summer vegetables are moist and can be eaten raw. They are also characterized by the large number of colorful green and yellow vegetables.
秋野菜 (あきやさい/Aki yasai) – Autumn vegetables
Including: matsutake mushrooms, burdock, potatoes
Many vegetables are in season in autumn. In particular, potatoes, root vegetables and mushrooms are abundantly harvested. There is also the word “autumn of appetite (食欲の秋/Shokuyoku no aki)”.
冬野菜 (ふゆやさい/Fuyu yasai) – Winter vegetables
Including: chinese cabbage, Japanese mustard spinach, Daikon radishes, burdock
Winter vegetables have high sugar content, and many of them become sweet when heated. Therefore, they are often used in hot pot dishes (なべ料理/naberyori).
