Things I'm Looking Forward to This Fall

1. Cooler temperatures
     This summer was reportedly short lived, but it was no less hot! Some days, I woke up with sweaty face, palms, kneecaps, ankles, spirit, sheets. Other days, it was just mushi atsui, muggy and humid. The air felt less like soup and more like a bowl of steaming hot natto. The best part of those days were grabbing some soft ice or a cold drink on the street. Then there were the frigid limestone caverns, trips to the shore, frozen custards at school lunch and seasonal delights like watermelon and eel. Shorts, skirts and sandals are slowly making their way to the back of the cabinet and in a matter of weeks, every day is going to be about sweaters and wool socks.

2. New colors
     Every season in Japan has been a visual orgasm: pink, white and rose colored cherry blossoms in the spring, rich green trees and an abundance of every imaginable flower in summer. Golden rice paddies prelude the other fall colors on their way but so far, I'm seeing a lot more red in the bushes, with wild berries hanging heavy over park pathways and streams. With Japanese maples everywhere, I'm looking forward to seeing deep reds and purples on the hillsides outside of Kitakami. And the ginko trees! Corridors of gold are forthcoming, my friends.

3. Seasonal foods
     So far, chestnut and sweet potato have taken firm root in groceries and school lunches. Chestnuts in particular are wildly popular here! They're not even too hard to come buy. This country is crazy about natural food and wild veg-foraging. But fear not: there's little need to go tramping through the wilderness for some chestnutty goodness. I was picking them off the ground at Hanamaki Onsen last week! They get tossed in sweets, breads, custards, and that's just what I've seen so far. I can't wait to see the savory applications. 

    As for sweet potato, don't get confused: Japanese sweet potatoes are very different from American yams. For one thing, they are much less sweet. I was bitterly disappointed when I tried to make mashed sweet potatoes a few weeks ago and instead of a deep orange bowl of sweet heaven, I found rough, mellow yellow sweet mistake. I have a bit of experimenting to do with sweet potatoes, I think. 

   There are a number of other seasonal Japanese foods including a hot, fermented milk drink, but I'm saving those delights for another post!

4. Festivals
     School festivals, Taiko, Shichigosan (celebration of children aged 7,5 and 3), apple festivals and so much more!

5. The opening of ski season! 
     Geto Ski Resort, just a short drive from Kitakami, is opening for another season! There was some dispute about whether it was happening but it is! Right now, the season pass is on sale, an investment that pays for itself after just 10 visits...and you get a pass into Geto Onsen. I still have to get all my gear besides the board, so it'll be an expensive month, but I call this a worthwhile investment full of promise, adventure and bruised tailbones. Bring it on, I say!

And now for something completely different:

Why? To get to Shika no Mori Park, of course!