歳時記

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 歳時記（さいじき） is a reference work on seasonal subjects, events, and words; in the examples, it is a season-word almanac used when composing haiku.
• Basic usage: It is used to look up seasonal words, as in 歳時記で季語を調べた, and can also include regional events, as in 地域ごとの行事も載っている.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A seasonal word versus the book used to find it
  • 季語 is a word indicating a season in haiku; 歳時記 is a reference work in which to look it up. Distinguishing the roles of 歳時記で and 季語を in the first example clarifies the two terms.
• A different purpose from a calendar
  • While 暦 is used to check dates and the progression of months, 歳時記 in these examples is used to look up seasonal words and subjects. Do not read it simply as a list of dates.