Aki no koyo (Autumn's colourful leaves)

Before you accuse me of anything, the reason I have failed to update for such a long time is quite, well, reasonable: I have been without internet. Well, that's not quite true. I have an iPhone, so I've been able to keep up with emails and bills ect., but not the blog. I am in this predicament because I have decided to change internet providers and have been suffering the limbo between services. I apologise.
Which is sad, I think, because you've entirely missed the heart of autumn. Or at least my commentaries on autumn here. While the midwest is blessed with a full display of the four seasons, it is not known for its mountain vistas. So, when the leaves began to turn here, I was greeted with postcard-worthy scenes throughout my normal workday.
As such, I made it a distinct goal to more thoroughly experience the beauty of the season by going leaf watching. In case you're not familiar, let me explain that during the short window when the cherished cherry blossoms bloom in spring, families, couples, and friends flock to parks to relax in the shade and enjoy the ephemeral beauty of this particular flower. Hanami (the aforementioned picnic-esque craze) may be the more famous phenomenon, but its autumnal equivalent is not unpopular. As such, when my friend Nori and I made a fall pilgrimage to Yamagata city's famous mountain of temples and shrines(Yamadera (literally Mountain Temple)), we were far from alone. The location is not only a richly historical religious site, but--more pertinent to our intents-- has one of the best views in Tohouku (northeast Japan). After climbing a stone path of about 1,000 steps, we reached a series of temples and observation towers that overlook the deciduous valley below.











Not only famous for its temples and view, Yamadera is also known for having been visited by the famous poet Basho. During his journey to northern Japan in the lat 1600s, he stopped at Yamadera to compose a what has become one of his most enduring haikus about the stillness and silence of the area. Having been told this story beforehand by one of my coteachers, I purchased a set of sweet wafers with an inscription of the haiku to give my colleagues upon my return to school. I did this not to boast about my interesting travels or to brown nose my way into good favour, but because it is a customary to bring Omiyage (somewhat loosely translated as souvenir) for your coworkers to thank them for working (holding down the fort, you could say) while you took vacation. We finished the excursion with my first proper meal of Soba noodles (Yamagata is famous for Soba) at a restaurant where you can watch the chef hand-tossing the noodles.




Now, fall is winding down as nights drop below 0ºC. In fact, on my way to work one morning last week, I looked up to see veins of snow climbing down the peaks of the mountains. Makes me excited for snowboarding season.