This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
Japan is generally split up into two halves, eastern and western Japan, based on a line that is drawn from north to south through the island of Honshu. This divide can be misleading when talking about the geography of Japan because a city, like the one that I live in, can be on the western coast of Japan and still be considered as being in eastern Japan. Likewise, a city like Hiroshima, which is on the southern coast of Japan, is typically referred to as being in western Japan.
Niigata, the city that I live in is located northwest of Tokyo and sits on the Sea of Japan. It is not a place that is known for good weather, especially this time of year. Cold winds are said to build over Mongolia, blow across the Korean Peninsula, out over the Sea of Japan where they pick up moisture, and then into Niigata where they are stopped by the wall of mountains that sit a little off in the distance, surrounding the city.
The wind in Niigata this time of year is like something out of a fable. It reminds me of the way the North Wind is talked about in the movie Chocolat. One day it is suddenly here, whirling and whistling through the city as if it had brought some kind of magical presence with it. Over the years, though, I have learned that this presence is nothing more than the slow transition from a cold and rainy winter into a snowy one.
Cold, damp, rainy days in Niigata are common this time of year, as are stretches of chilly and gray, overcast days. The weather here makes it hard to plan for weekends and constantly threatens plans to enjoy the beautiful foliage that Japan has to offer. Luckily, this year some nice weather aligned with a Sunday, which in my house is a family day, and my family and I were able to take a short drive into a small town called Yahiko where we were able to walk through a valley of maple trees that turns a brilliant red every November.
Outside of Kyoto, it seems to me that viewing the fall foliage in Japan is often overlooked by tourists and guidebooks. In reality, though, the foliage here can be enjoyed all across the country and is done so in much the same way that the cherry blossoms are appreciated in late March and early April. Just as viewing the cherry blossoms has its own word in Japanese (ohanami), viewing the fall foliage also has a phrase that does not translate well into English (momijigari). Leaf reports can be viewed on the news, along with the weather, and places of renown are often filled with food vendors and leaf peepers from year to year.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
Great post!
Thank you for the comment! I'm glad you enjoyed this post.
Amazing colors.
Autumn here can be exceptionally pretty, and the colors this year have been really good. Thanks for commenting!
Great post and wonderful photographs, thank you for posting them.
Thanks a lot. I'm glad you liked them!
Colorful and beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing about Japan, it is very interesting !
You're welcome. If you're interested in Japan, please check out some of my other posts as well.
Japan and its women are beautiful. Except for the men.
It sounds like maybe you have had some bad experiences with Japanese men in the past. I'm sorry to hear about that. Please don't rule them all out, though.
Okay. I had a drink while making that comment after watching a Japanese softcore film with subtitles.
Oh my goodness these colours are wonderful! I'm glad you shared this!
Thanks for commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures. Fall in Japan is full of great photo opportunities!