1st May – 皐月
88 days after 立春 (Risshun) is the day of starting summer. This year falls 1st of May. From around this day, there are less frost therefore it is considered as the starting day of farming.
Now the day is becoming longer and longer, the temperature is getting above 20 degrees in Japan. 八十八夜 is the great timing to start planting rice, picking tea leaves.
The teas which were picked around 八十八夜 generally have high nutrition and smells great. It is called as 新茶(Shincha) or 一番茶(Ichiban cha) and treated as special tea.
It is said that if people plant rice seeds around 八十八夜, the rice is going to grow very tasty and can have great harvest in Autumn. Also if you disassemble the letter of rice (米), it become 88 (八十八). People who turned to be 88 years old is called 米寿(Beiju) and cerebrate for the long life.
八十八夜 is the auspicious day for farmers!
On the other hand, there is a proverb related to 八十八夜 – 八十八夜の別れ霜 (Hachijuu Hachiya no Wakare Jimo), meaning of the frost appearing in this season (which are not supposed to). This frost harms the crops therefore farmers have to be careful.
Little Japan Dictionary 