Japan is a land of four distinct seasons along the length of its 3000km archipelago; a north – south distance that gives each region its own climate and differing forms of nature. It is therefore difficult to say that all Japanese share the same feelings at any given point on the calendar.
Indeed, my own concept of autumn leaves and the images they bring to mind is different to the images of Japanese born in more northern areas. Having been raised in a southern Japanese coastal region I learned a lot about the sea and how it changes color each season. A lack of nearby mountains and the subsequent absence of large numbers of deciduous trees meant that my own twelve years spent in the town were bereft of images of mountains covered in the various shades of autumn. I do recall that it was a little tricky picturing the colored mountains when singing the song, “The Autumn Leaves.” (A Japanese song often sung in elementary schools.) The lyrics of the song describe the colors of autumn leaves in “various different autumnal shades,” but I just couldn’t imagine the scenes the lyrics described.
With such a dull sense of true autumn then, when I first had the chance to walk in the mountains in autumn I was extremely impressed by the colors all around and often stopped walking to simply savor the view. At the time, as a university freshman, the lyrics of “The Autumn Leaves” suddenly made sense.
For several years after that time I often went hiking in the mountains in autumn just to see the leaves but as autumn arrives earlier atop the mountains it was hard to pick the perfect time to go.
Throughout Japan, many people use the cooler temperatures of autumn to visit their own favorite viewing spots and from October to November, Kyoto and Nikko; areas with world famous temples and shrines and an abundance of deciduous trees are full of tourists.
Personally I think the sight of autumn leaves appeals to the Japanese mindset as strongly as do the cherry blossoms of spring with one of the reasons being our own inability to reproduce such splendid patterns and shades - often described as “brocade.” Autumn leaves are without doubt nature’s art work at its very best with each year millions of trees showing off their very best dress before they are fated to lose it.
If you don’t have the opportunity to visit a location at which you can enjoy the autumn leaves yourself, why not sit back and sample a jellied form of sweet bean jam decorated with sweet autumn leaves. The “Aki-gasane” is an autumnal specialty produced by Tsuruya Yoshinobu, a Japanese confectionary shop in Kyoto. The pretty little sweet reminds me of another phrase from “The Autumn Leaves” ―”autumn leaves are floating on the stream in the valley” as their taste ‘takes me’ to the same valley to view the floating leaves in person. At this point I think to myself, “If I had tasted these sweets as a ten-year-old, how much better I could have sung “The Autumn Leaves.”

[“Aki-gasane” of Tsuruya Yoshinobu]
Main ingredients: Sweet beans, agar, and sugar

by Sawako Fujii

11月のお菓子　-　「もみじ」の思い出

　日本は、四季の違いが明確な国。しかし、南北に長い日本列島で、四季折々の風景は、地域によってずいぶん違う。

　南国の海辺で育った私は、春夏秋冬、様々に色を変える海を知っている。一方、山の表情はどうだったかというと、実は、ほとんど印象に残っていない。秋に紅葉するような種類の木が少なかったからだろう。その土地で過ごした12年間、私は紅葉に彩られた山を身近に感じたことがなかった。小学校の音楽で習った「もみじ」は、紅葉の美しい秋の山を歌った曲である。紅葉の盛りの木々の色彩について「濃いも薄いも数ある中に…」と歌うのだが、その景色を想像するのは難しかった。

　だから、大学1年生の時に登った秋の山では、あたり一面の紅葉に圧倒された。濃淡の度合いも様々な赤・黄・オレンジで描かれた風景に感動して、尾根の上で何度も立ち止まった。長年の謎であった「もみじ」の歌詞をすんなり理解することができたのは、この時が初めてだった。それから数年間、私は、秋が来るたびに「紅葉を見に」と山に登った。山の紅葉シーズンは下界よりも一足早く、丁度よい時期を見定めるのは難しい。が、そんな山登りを繰り返すうち、「秋=紅葉」という季節感が、わずかながらでも身についてきたようだ。

　この季節、人々は、紅葉の名所と呼ばれる場所へせっせと足を運ぶ。寺社と紅葉が絵のような風景をおりなす京都や日光は、10月から11月にかけて、多くの観光客で賑わう。秋の紅葉は、春の桜と同じくらい日本人の心に訴えかけるもののようだ。「錦のよう」とも表現される華やかな色・紋様は、決して人間の手では作り出せない、完璧な芸術作品。葉を落とす前の木々にとって、紅葉は、一年のうち最後にして最高の装いだ。ぜひ見ておかなければ、という気持ちにさせられる。

　紅葉を見に行きたくても遠出でのチャンスがない人は、お菓子で山の紅葉を楽しもう。秋のお菓子として鶴屋吉信さんが販売する「秋襲（あきがさね）」は、水面を流れゆく紅葉の景色を思わせる。「もみじ」の歌詞に、「谷の流れに散り浮くもみじ」という箇所があるが、その描写にぴったりだ。10歳の時にこのお菓子に出会っていれば、もっと上手に歌えたかもしれない。そう思わせてくれるほど美しい、秋のお菓子である。

[鶴屋吉信の“秋襲”情報]
主な材料：あずき、寒天、砂糖