未だ未だ咲き続けます。

【画像をクリックすると臨場感が出ます。】

　庭のサルスベリは９月になっても、ご覧の通り、７～８m四方八方に枝を広げ、涼しい日陰を作り、満開を続けてます。と言っても、一つ一つの花は誠に小さく、花は数日で散り、後から、また、新たな蕾が交代して開花します。

　しかし、人間の目には「恰も同じ花がずっと咲き続けているかの如く」に見えます。日々、暑さで気が滅入る人間に対し「暑いからこそよく咲ける」と言ってるようです。

　いよいよ９月となり、日本の学校では２学期が本格的に始まりました。しかし、欧米では多くが９月から新年度であり、海外留学では不都合です。明治時代は、いろいろの制度を海外に習う時代でしたが、「９月の新年度」を導入しなかったのは不思議です。

　この原因については、日本では四季を春夏秋冬と言い、花の象徴である「桜が咲く４月」が新年度として最も相応しいと考えたのでしょう。以来１５０年が経過し、毎年、年間スケジュールが決まっているので、これはもう変えられません。

　もし、９月を新年度にすると今まで同級生であったのに、４月から８月までに生まれた人が先輩になり、９月から３月までに生まれた人が後輩になってしまいます。一方、小学１年生にとっては今までより７ヶ月早く入学か、５ヶ月遅く入学することになり、大変に混乱します。

Dear my overseas friends　

　Even in September, the crape myrtle in the garden continues to bloom in full bloom, spreading its branches 7 to 8 meters in all directions, creating a cool shade. However, each flower is really small, and the flower scatters in a few days, then new buds bloom later.

　However, to the human eye, it looks "as if the same flower keeps blooming". Every day, it seems that people are depressed by the heat, "The crape myrtle seems to say that it is why it can bloom well."

　By the way, It's finally September which the second semester has begun in earnest at Japanese schools. However, in most of Europe and the United States, the new school year starts in September, so that it is inconvenient for Japanese student to study abroad. The Meiji era of civilization and enlightenment was a time when many systems were learned from overseas, but it is strange that they did not introduce the "new school year in September."

　The reason for this is that in Japan, the four seasons are spring, summer, fall, and winter, and they thought that April is cherry blossom season, the symbol of flowers, are most appropriate for the new school year. 150 years have passed since then, and the annual schedule has been decided every year, so this can no longer be changed.

　If September is the new school year, those who were previously classmates but were born between April and August will become seniors, and those born between September and March will become juniors. On the other hand, first-grade elementary school students will have to enter school seven months earlier or five months later than before, which will be very confusing.

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