I never think that Japan is the only country to have four seasons.
We can know it easily through movies or news or photos or web site
even if we have never left Japan.
Recently,as you know or as you see in the world,
soooo many Japaneses go abroad.
When we go abroad,we naturally check up seasons or wheather or temparature of visiting country.

But we often say,'Japanese loves seasons.'
What bases on,I guess...
I guess we have many words to discribe nature or wheather in each seasons.
And we have many craft works or arts in the motif of plants or flowers.
By comparering their sences and mine,I can know my sences or feelings are gross.
The one that tells me such thing is the tradition,isn't it?

It is true that some year's events look like tradition
are related to commercializm.(for example, to eat makizushi-sushi roll-
at Setsubun.)
And the Japanese postal system was institute in 1871,so exchanging new year's cards were later.
;)