1.
agricultural off-season; slack season in farming
The period of the year when there is little agricultural work to be done, typically winter in Japan.
冬は農閑期だ。
Winter is the farming off-season.
農閑期にアルバイトをする農家も多い。
Many farmers take on part-time jobs during the off-season.
昔の日本では、農閑期に祭りや行事が行われることが多かった。
In old Japan, festivals and events were often held during the agricultural off-season.
A compound of 農 (agriculture), 閑 (leisure, quiet), and 期 (period). In Japanese rice-farming culture, the 農閑期 (roughly November through March) was historically a time for festivals, craft production, construction work, and community activities.
The opposite term is 農繁期 (busy farming season), when planting, tending, and harvesting demand intensive labor.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 農閑期に入る: to enter the farming off-season
- 農閑期の仕事: off-season work
- 農閑期を利用する: to make use of the farming off-season
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 農繁期: busy farming season — the antonym, when agricultural work is intense
- 閑散期: slow season, off-peak period — broader term applying to any industry
- オフシーズン: off-season — the loanword, used more broadly for tourism, sports, etc.