Micro-season 60 of 72 · Nov 2 – Nov 6
Maple and ivy turn yellow.
Momiji tsuta kibamu
Mountain maples and climbing ivy flush gold and crimson, painting hillsides in the last warm colors before winter's approach.
The maples have reached their moment. Along temple paths and mountain valleys, leaves turn from green through gold to deep vermilion, each tree finding its own pace. Morning mist rises through forests now blazing with color, and the air carries that particular crispness that makes breath visible in early light.
Nature notes
Wild boar move down from higher elevations, foraging actively to build fat reserves. Migratory thrushes arrive from the north, their calls echoing through deciduous forests. The ivy that climbed summer walls now drops golden leaves, revealing the stone beneath. Mountain streams run cold and clear, their surfaces scattered with floating maple leaves.
In season
Fruits
Vegetables
Fish
At the table
Actual maple leaves, battered and fried until crisp — a centuries-old Osaka tradition that lets you taste the season itself.
Grated mountain yam in warm dashi broth, its silken texture providing gentle nourishment as temperatures drop.
Split and dried Atka mackerel, grilled until the edges char and the rich flesh turns flaky — a warming autumn staple.
Cultural note
This is the heart of momiji-gari, the tradition of 'hunting' autumn leaves. Unlike hanami's festive picnics, momiji-gari tends toward quiet contemplation — walking temple gardens at dawn, pausing on mountain paths to witness a single perfect branch. At Tōfuku-ji in Kyoto, visitors cross the Tsūten-kyō bridge through a sea of red and gold stretching below.
蔦の葉の離るる音や夕日影
tsuta no ha no / hanaruru oto ya / yūhi kage
the sound of ivy / releasing its leaves — / evening sun's last light
A single maple leaf, still holding its crimson, spins slowly down through motionless air toward the waiting earth.