Autumn
Autumn seems to have come and gone once more. It is always to my chagrin that the best weather of the Japanese year seems to coincide with the busiest weeks at work and the weekends packed with all kinds of commitments. So, once again I didn’t get much chance to indulge in the Japanese tradition of joining thousands of other people in one of several places noted for the beauty of their autumn foliage.
Early in the season, I was lucky enough to have a work free day on which I hiked up Mt. Gokurakuji-yama in Hatsukaichi. As it was a weekday the trail was pretty quiet, as was the historic Gokurakuji Temple which sits just below the peak where I took this shot.
Over the next couple of weeks I was forced to enjoy my red leaf action vicariously, mostly through the Flickr feed of Kamoda who made trips to Buttuji and Mitaki Temples, as well as Miyajima. Last Sunday, I went down to Shukkeien Garden‘s “Momiji Matsuri” in the hope of getting some deep red in the flesh, but despite the warm and sunny afternoon winter was starting to close its grip.
All that was left was to take advantage of the last rays of autumn, for just about 40 winks.
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