Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 1
Read the story. 英文を読もう。
1Around December 22, Japan has the shortest day of the year. This day is called Toji, the winter solstice. In Tokyo in 2026, the sun rises at 6:47 in the morning and sets at 4:32 in the afternoon. That is less than ten hours of daylight. In June, Tokyo gets almost five more hours of sun.
2On this night, many families take a yuzu bath. Yuzu is a small yellow citrus fruit with a strong, fresh smell. People put whole yuzu into the hot water and relax. Some say a yuzu bath keeps you from catching a cold. This custom is said to have started at public bathhouses in old Tokyo, about 200 years ago.
3People also eat kabocha, a sweet Japanese pumpkin. An old saying tells us that kabocha on this day helps you live a long life. Today, some families also eat foods with the sound n in their names, like udon. But this custom is quite new. Old records from the 1800s talk about foods that start with to, like tofu.
4Toji is not only about the cold. From this day, the days slowly get longer again. So people also see it as a day when good luck starts to come back. In China, many people eat dumplings on this day. In Iran, families stay up late with watermelon and poems on the longest night of the year.
Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 2
Choose the best answer. 正しいものを選ぼう。
What is the main idea of the passage?
In Tokyo in 2026, when does the sun set on the winter solstice?
Where is the yuzu bath custom said to have started?
What does the passage say about eating foods with the sound n?
In the dialogue, what did Emily think the yuzu were at first?
Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 3
Words & phrases. 単語のれんしゅう。
The Longest Night
Today is the winter (1) . It gets (2) very early. After school, Riko helps her mother cook (3) . At night, her father puts three yellow (4) into the bath. The bathroom (5) so fresh! Riko stays in the hot (6) for a long time. Her mother says, "Now you won't catch a (7) ." From tomorrow, the days will get (8) .
Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 4
Read the clues and fill in the puzzle. ヒントを読んで、クロスワードを完成させよう。
Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 5
Find the hidden words. かくれた単語を探そう（→ ↓ ↘ ↗）。
Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 6
Collect the letters on the right path. What is the secret word? 正しい道の文字を集めると、ひみつの言葉になるよ。
Secret word:
Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 7
On the shortest day of the year, I want to ______ because ______.
To explain a yuzu bath to a friend, I would say, "______."
Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan) · Worksheet 8
Trace the words. Then color the picture! なぞって書こう。絵に色を塗ろう。
Draw your Toji (Winter Solstice in Japan)! 冬至（ゆず湯とかぼちゃ）の絵を描こう。