Electric Leaf Season

Posted by Jonelle Patrick on December 3, 2011 in Seasonal Goodness | 1 Comment

Yesterday I went from Rikugi-en, the 17th century garden designed to include 88 views from famous waka poems, to Kabuki-chō, famous for more than 88 kinds of, er, entertainment. In both places Leaf Season was in full swing.

Everybody knows about Cherry Blossom Season, but here in Japan, the changing of the autumn leaves excites the same desire to flock to scenic spots and jostle for pictures. In spring, the newspapers report the tide of blooming from south to north; in November, the process is reversed as peak leaf photo ops are mapped in the other direction. One of my recent Japanese tests even  featured the special kanji characters used for describing the peak moments of these two seasons!

If you’d like to visit Rikugi-en garden or Kabuki-cho the next time you’re in Tokyo, directions & maps are on my website, The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had.

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