A Doze of Foliage and Several Mishaps

September and October marked the start of some leaves turning to yellow to red in Japan, which is also known as foliage or kouyou or momiji (紅葉) in Japanese. Foliage viewing in Japanese is called momijigari (紅葉狩り). Foliage debuts as early as late September from the mountains of Hokkaido down to the hills of Kyoto and the western part of Japan until early December. As a tropical-dwelling individual, this season is a must to enjoy as we do not have this one in the Philippines. I have always been captivated by the pictures that I only see in the Internet about pictures of foliage. This time, it has become a somewhat dream-come-true. (more…)

Can’t you just taste that chill in the air?  Can’t you just feel that cold wind in your face?  Can’t you just see those changing colors of the leaves?  Yep! Fall is definitely here!

Hello everyone, it’s me, Akie here again!  I’m out at the Suishiin botanical garden here in Akita city, taking in all the changing leave’s colors, from green to red, yellow, orange, etc.  We Japanese call this kouyou.  We usually just talk about the red leaves changing, but I think all the different colors splashed across the landscape are so gorgeous and breath-taking, don’t you? Just like in the springtime when the Cherry Blossoms bloom, this time of year is special so you can find we Japanese moving all around our islands looking for the best spots to view the changing leaves. (more…)

Recently I took a trip to Shiraishi-jima, an island of “mists and trances” in the Seto Inland Sea. This little island is just one of the 250 islands of the Seto Inland Sea. A lot of foreigners overlook the islands in the Seto Inland Sea and opt for Okinawa or Shikoku instead. However, there are a lot of rare and beautiful places to be discovered in these islands. Japanese people usually refer to the Seto Naikai as their own Mediterranean. However, on Shiraishi you’ll find no five-star hotels or all-you-can-eat and drink specials, no bar crawls, no nightclubs. Not even a McDonald’s or Family Mart. (more…)

During difficult times, it is always comforting to know that you are not alone, that others have stood where you stand, have gone through what you’re going through and come out the other side. Regardless of how adventurous we feel when first we board the plane that takes us from home, the route that is new for us is nonetheless well travelled. While it is sad to say there is nothing new under the sun, there is often safety in numbers. This feeling, this understanding of the part we play in the unfolding of history, returned to me with increased clarity recently when I visited the Foreign Cemetery in Yokohama. (more…)

Weave forty plus tons of rice straw into a rope and make it a little over two city blocks long. Because of its size and to keep it from blocking traffic, you’ll have to divide it into halves. Once everything is in place, go ahead and invite 250,000 or so of your closest friends and neighbors over for a party.

When everyone arrives, have them help pull the two halves together and join the two ends, then invite two famous kings from Okinawa’s past to come back from the dead and issue challenges to each other. Have a lot of other folks dressed in period costumes dance around and shout then throw in a few karate demonstrations just for show. When all that is finished, give a signal and have everyone pull with all their might.

What you have is a “Tsunahiki,” or great tug-o-war. This little celebration has been an indispensable facet of the autumnal season here in Okinawa for centuries. Many of the surrounding cities and towns hold their own Tsunahiki but no one can even come close to the grandeur of the Naha tug-o-war celebration which is the biggest in the whole world (more…)

Yes, bikini season is over, no more trips to the beach for a while.  But now is the perfect season for outdoor exercise. Autumn weather in Tokyo gives us a great chance to get out and be active, not too hot, not too cold, and sculpt our body into shape before heading back inside for winter hibernation. Where to go? There are more parks to Tokyo than Yoyogi and more places to go to get fit than your local gym. (more…)

I always used to get this mixed up when I was a kid. I always thought that the Harvest moon was the big full moon that’s always seen in the month of October. What I later found out is that tradition dictates that the harvest moon is actually the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. This year it happened to fall on October 3rd. (more…)

It can be seen both inside and on the cover of several books about the battle of Okinawa. Some of them show only the solitary stone lion, perched on a knoll that is completely barren of vegetation. Other pictures show army artillery observers hunkered down beside it and directing fire against enemy positions. It is perhaps one of the battle’s best known survivors. It’s also one of the least visited sites on the island. (more…)

As you are probably already aware, train travel is extremely efficient here in Japan. It is a part of daily life for many people and newcomers to this country quickly adapt to the remarkably user-friendly system. This is all well and good, but did you know that the Japanese railways can be just as beneficial for your stomachs as they are for your schedules? This particular mode of transportation occupies such a special place in the national psyche that a unique type of dining has been developed in its honor. Ekiben (駅弁) might look like regular bento boxes, but their components are often linked to the culinary heritage of the region in which they are made. (more…)