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#004 Hunting for autumn foliage

Autumn foliage
Mari

My name is Mari. I am a native Japanese living in Japan. I am writing about 365 stories of Japanese daily life and culture etc. based on my own experiences and perspectives.

#004 story is about hunting for autumn foliage.

What does “hunting” for autumn foliage (Momiji-gari in Japanese) mean?

In Japanese, the term refers to the tradition of visiting the mountains to view the magnificent autumn foliage. But why is it called “hunting(Kari in Japanese)”? I’d never really thought about it until I was writing this.

It’s said that the nobles thought walking was inelegant during the Heian period (around the 10th century). Instead of the word “walking“, they chose the word “hunting” to describe their excursions in the mountains to appreciate the beauty of the autumn foliage. 

autumn foliage tohukuji

Japan is a long, narrow country from north to south. In spring, cherry blossoms bloom from south to north, while in autumn, leaves turn red and yellow from north to south, in the opposite direction.

Japan map

Imagine the whole of Japan turning pink in spring, green in summer, red and yellow in autumn, and the trees turning brown in winter. Japan looks like a country that is busy changing its clothes, which tickles me.

For me, the hunt for autumn leaves is a seasonal event that is as exciting as viewing the cherry blossoms in spring. On the mainland, or Honshu, where Yokohama, my hometown, is located, the best time for autumn foliage hunting is in late November. Seeing red and yellow leaves glowing in the sunlight during the day is wonderful. And it’s also amazing to go out at night and see the trees all lit up. It’s incredibly cold, though.

My favourite places to go hunting are the following three:
Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto, which has wooden buildings that look cool with the red autumn leaves. 

Tohukuji
Tohukuji


Korankei in Aichi Prefecture, where you can walk around the whole of the mountain in an hour or so.

Korankei
Korankei


Gaienmae in Tokyo, where both sides of an urban street are coloured by the bright yellow of the ginkgo trees. 

Gaienmae
Looked up at the sky in Gaienmae

All of these places are popular and crowded, so I often find myself looking at my camera instead of the beautiful leaves, trying to get an Instagrammable shot!

One day, on my morning walk, I happened to look up and saw red leaves standing proudly against the canvas of the blue sky, as if saying, “Look at me! “

Wherever you find autumn leaves, they are really beautiful. Each tree has its own beauty. 

For as long as I have beautiful eyes in my heart to see the beauty in everything, even hunting for autumn beauty in my neighbourhood will always bring me great joy.

Mari

Japanese maples(momiji in Japanese) are sometimes eaten as tempura, coated in a crispy batter and deep-fried. If you’re lucky enough to come across one, give it a try!

Tempura momiji