Long time no see. Well, I’m still here in Japan, going to school, and trying to get as many last minute small trips planned. Recently the “momiji” has finally hit the Kansai area, and hard! “Momiji” is the changing colors of the autumn leaves, which is a very popular time in Japan to go up into the mountains to see the different leaf colors. I’ve heard that this year, it is happening later than usual, but I’ve gone into the mountains for the momijigari (autumn leaf viewing) experience twice now. However, both times, the leaves weren’t quite as red as I would have hoped.
About a month ago I went with two Japanese friends, Shota and Megumi, and two American friends, Clay and Kyle, to Mino Yama for the Momijigari. We hiked up quite a ways on a small street filled with shops and music. It was a lot of fun seeing many authentic Japanese souvenirs and foods. Some of the treats specific to this time of year, are the Tempura fried maple leaves, which sound gross, but are very delicious! =] They taste a lot like maple syrup! Also, on this mountain, monkeys are commonly seen, and are notorious for stealing picnic food. So, we were told not to take any food up with us on the mountain. However, we saw no monkeys... =[ After hiking up about 30 minutes, we reached the top! And at the top was a beautiful waterfall, and many trees that weren’t very red yet, but I’m sure right now (which is the peak of the momiji) would be BEAUTIFUL!
A sign telling us not to feed the monkeys.. Haha!
One of the few red trees =]=]
The tempura fried maple leaves!
Also, a few weeks ago I went with another Japanese friend to a famous temple in Kyoto, Kiyomizudera. It was so beautiful, and such a neat experience to see all of the old buildings and architecture. Kyoto is well known for its leaves in the autumn season, and even though this was still several weeks into November, the leaves still weren’t quite red. However, I had a great time seeing the temple, and tasting all of the delicious treats in Kyoto in the many shops leading up to the temple! It is common to come to this temple in the fall, and stop at the shops along the way for the wagashi treats. Wagashi is a general term for Japanese confections, but a common type is Mochi filled with a red bean paste. They are good, but when comparing them to a Western dessert, well there is no comparison… I love my Western cakes and sweets. Here, they don’t use as much sugar; the Japanese don’t like sweets, the American way.
Famous view of the temple, some of the red leaves too!
some more red leaves! =]
Here are some japanese school girls washing their hands with the "holy" water outside the temple.
And FINALLY, this past week, the leaves are turning red, but I haven’t had a chance to make it back to Kyoto, so I decided to go with some friends and take some pictures around campus! =]=]
Well, that's all for now! Love and miss you all! I'll see you soon!
