How to Read “A good sunset means good weather tomorrow”
Irihi yokereba asu tenki
Meaning of “A good sunset means good weather tomorrow”
This proverb means that when the sunset looks beautiful, the next day will be sunny.
When the evening sky glows vividly and the air looks clear, it shows that the western sky is clear.
Since weather moves from west to east, you can expect good weather the next day. This teaching comes from observing nature.
Even today, people use this wisdom when planning outdoor activities like camping, hiking, or fishing.
It also helps when deciding whether to hang laundry outside. We live in an age of weather satellites and supercomputer forecasts.
But looking at the sky with your own eyes and predicting the weather brings a primal joy of connecting with nature.
This intuitive method of guessing tomorrow’s weather from the visual beauty of the sunset reminds modern people not to rely too much on data.
It teaches us the importance of observing nature directly.
Origin and Etymology
The exact first written appearance of this proverb is unclear. However, it represents weather prediction wisdom passed down through Japanese farming communities for generations.
“Irihi” means the evening sun, the sun at sunset. Since ancient times, Japanese people have predicted the next day’s weather by observing the sky.
For farmers especially, reading weather from nature was a matter of survival in an era without weather forecasts.
To determine the right time for planting and harvesting, they needed information from every natural phenomenon.
Cloud shapes, wind direction, and the color and appearance of the sunset all served as crucial information sources.
A beautiful sunset means few clouds in the western sky and moderate atmospheric moisture.
In the Japanese archipelago, weather moves from west to east due to westerly winds.
So when the western sky is clear, good weather will likely continue the next day. This rule of thumb emerged from experience.
This observational skill was living wisdom that people developed through dialogue with nature in an age without meteorology.
Even without scientific backing, it supported people’s lives as a reliable law derived from years of experience.
Interesting Facts
Meteorologically speaking, this proverb actually makes sense. Sunsets look beautiful because sunlight travels a long distance through the atmosphere.
Blue light with short wavelengths scatters away, while red light with long wavelengths remains.
For this phenomenon to occur vividly, the western sky needs few clouds and relatively dry air.
Near Japan, westerly winds move weather from west to east. So when the western sky is clear, the probability of sunny weather the next day is high.
There’s also a reverse proverb: “A red morning sky brings rain.” When the eastern sky turns red in the morning, it means the east is clear.
But clouds exist in the west, where weather comes from. This signals approaching bad weather.
The wisdom of our ancestors who observed the relationship between sky color and weather matches modern meteorology in many ways.
Usage Examples
- Yesterday’s sunset was beautiful, so “a good sunset means good weather tomorrow” – today is perfect weather for an outing
- With such a beautiful sunset, “a good sunset means good weather tomorrow” – tomorrow’s sports day should be fine
Universal Wisdom
Behind this proverb lies a long history of humans living as part of nature.
Modern people can instantly know tomorrow’s weather by opening a weather app. But people in the past looked up at the sky, felt the wind, and tracked cloud movements.
They predicted weather with their own senses.
This practice holds meaning beyond mere practicality. It represents the origin of human intellectual activity.
Observing nature, reading its patterns, and predicting the future are fundamental human capabilities.
The thought process connecting the sensory experience of a beautiful sunset with practical information about tomorrow’s weather is the beginning of scientific thinking.
Furthermore, this proverb contains a message of hope. A beautiful sunset is both a gift that colors the end of the day and a sign that raises expectations for tomorrow.
Humans constantly think about tomorrow and try to find hope in the future.
The mindset of overlaying tomorrow’s clear skies onto the beauty of the sunset expresses humanity’s essential optimism.
The optimism that overcomes today’s difficulties and believes in a better tomorrow.
The attitude of finding clues to the future in nature and reading hope into it is why this proverb is loved across generations.
When AI Hears This
Sunsets are red because sunlight travels many times farther through the atmosphere than during morning or midday.
Light scatters differently depending on wavelength. Blue light has short wavelengths and hits air molecules, scattering in all directions.
This is Rayleigh scattering. Red light, with longer wavelengths, doesn’t scatter easily from particles as small as air molecules. It travels straight through.
What’s important here is that the intensity of sunset colors serves as a barometer for the amount of particles in the atmosphere.
On clear evenings, the atmosphere is dry with little water vapor or dust. Blue light disappears through Rayleigh scattering, and only red light reaches our eyes.
This creates vivid orange or red sunsets. When the atmosphere contains much water vapor or larger particles, a different phenomenon called Mie scattering occurs.
This scatters light regardless of wavelength, making sunsets look whitish and hazy.
In other words, a vivid red sunset is evidence that “a dry high-pressure system exists in the western sky.”
In Japan, westerly winds move weather from west to east. So the dry area in the west arrives at your location the next day. That’s why it’s sunny.
People didn’t know whether light wavelengths were 380 nanometers or 700 nanometers.
But through color, they accurately read the state of the atmosphere.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of trusting their own senses. We live in an age of information overload.
Even for weather forecasts, we compare multiple apps and websites. We react emotionally to precipitation percentages.
But what’s truly important is having the ability to look up at the sky with your own eyes and judge with your own senses.
Data and expert opinions are certainly important. But relying on them too much weakens our ability to observe, think, and judge for ourselves.
Predicting tomorrow’s weather from the beauty of the sunset becomes training in dialoguing with nature and trusting your own experience and senses.
This proverb also teaches us to value the present moment. Seeing a beautiful sunset and expecting clear weather tomorrow creates a bridge of hope connecting today and tomorrow.
Rather than only looking at past data, pay attention to the natural changes right before your eyes.
The attitude of trying to read the future from those changes might be the wisdom for surviving uncertain times.
By recovering the habit of looking up at the sky, your life should become richer.
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