There are four seasons in Japan, the change of which can be clearly traced. As a result, dishes that represent the seasons have become a hallmark of Japanese cuisine.
Basically, seasonality is typical for fish and seafood, as well as for fruits and vegetables. There is also a set of dishes that are served exclusively at certain times of the year. The availability of seasonal produce is also due to the fact that the Japanese do not stockpile and only use fresh produce.

Winter
Traditionally, fish and seafood are served on the winter table, because they are caught from icy water, and the Japanese believe that this is what gives the dish a special taste. Most often, seafood is consumed fresh, making sushi and sashimi out of them. The most popular are sea bass, crabs and shrimp.

Spring
When mentioning the Japanese spring, the first thing that comes to mind is, of course, sakura. It is a seasonal ingredient for Japanese spring dishes. Sakura petals and leaves can be bought at the supermarket and you can cook any Japanese desserts with it: wagashi, mochi, daifuku, dango.

Summer
Hiyashi chuka (冷やし中華) becomes the main dish during the summer months. It consists of chilled ramen with various additions of vegetables, ham, eggs and soy sauce. Another summer dish, somen (素麺) is also a cold noodle made from wheat flour. Served with soy sauce and ice cubes, and garnished with green onions and ginger.
Not so cold, but just as tasty and traditional - unagi (鰻) - eel grilled on charcoal. Restaurant eel can be expensive, but you can prepare it at home.
There are also sweets for the summer season, such as kakigori (かき氷). This is a shaved ice that you can choose from several flavors of syrup to add to it, such as green tea, cherry, strawberry, etc. Watermelon is also an alternative during the summer months.

Autumn
In Japan, autumn is called the season of appetite (食欲の秋- syokuyoku no aki). The Japanese believe that it is in autumn that appetite increases.
Sweet potato (サツマイモ satsumaimo). It is used for cooking both sweet and savory dishes. They are used like regular potatoes - fried, pickled, boiled, and even made into sauces for desserts, as well as for making shochu (焼酎 shōchū), a Japanese strong alcoholic drink.
Matsutake mushrooms (松茸). The Japanese love them for their rich taste. Matsutake can be grilled, but is usually used in recipes with a variety of other ingredients in soups or rice, such as matsutake gohan.
Satoimo (里芋) is the root of the taro plant. Satoimo is usually stewed or lightly boiled in dashi broth, and is also added to soups.
Kabocha (かぼちゃ) is a Japanese gourd. It can be made in tempura, added to boiled and stewed dishes.
Pacific salmon (鮭 sake). One of the most popular fish for making sashimi. It is also added to "nabe" dishes.
Pacific saury (秋刀魚 - samma). It is at this time that the fat content in saury becomes the highest. It is prepared as a barbecue, whole on the grill or salted.
Sudachi (スダチ sudati). Looks like a small round lime. Sudachi juice is used to make saury, as well as for sweets and pastries.
Chestnut (栗 kuri). Used in a number of dishes or as an ingredient in sweets. Kuri can also be boiled with rice, resulting in kuri-gohan, cooked with sweet potatoes, and added to wagashi.

Which of the seasonal dishes or ingredients have you already tried or would like to try?