Saturday, November 14, 2009

Autumn leaves

Nikko, in TOCHIGI prefecture , is famous for its foliage-viewing spot. Every year in November, tourists flock here from all over the country to admire the beauty of the autumn leaves. The roads running through the mountains are jammed with traffic. But mo matter how long it may take, people are determined to view the vibrant autumn colours.
In Japan, each of the four seasons if distinct. The fresh green buds of spring give way to the lush foliage of summer. And in the Autumn, the forests turn red and yellow. When you look at Japan's autumn scenery, you can not help but notice the astonishing variety of hues. This has to do with Japan's wide variety of vegetation. Most Parts of the country belong to the Temperate Zone, and there are large numbers of broadleaved trees. Some of them, including Camphor trees and oaks, are evergreens. Others are deciduous,Changing colour in Autumn; these include maples, whose leaves turn red, and ginkgoes,which turn yellow. most mountainous areas in Japan have a nice balance of evergreen and deciduous trees. It is this that creates the beautiful, multi_coloured autumn scenery.
Since ancient times, the Japanese have deeply appreciated the beauty of autumn leaves. The autumn tints are mentioned many times in the tale of GENJI,written in the early 11th century. Back then,when autumn rolled around,the emperors and court aristocrats would gather in gardens to admire the maple leaves. And they would sometimes make trips into the mountains to view the leaves- a custom known as MOMIJI-GARI, literally 'maple hunting'.

By 16th century, MOMIJI-GARI had spread to the common people. It is not just the coloured leaves on the trees that the Japanese enjoy; they also find beauty in the leaves fluting down to the ground and the carpet of fallen leaves. The image of fallen leaves has even used as a motif in countless WAKA poems, paintings and children's songs. For example, the monk RYOKAN wrote a HAIKU at the end of his life, saying that: Both the front and back of a maple leaf Become visible flutters down. And so it is when people die-Everything then revealed. Now the time has come for me to die, I have nothing to hide. seeing the fallen leaves, many Japanese are reminded of the transience to life and feel a sense of wistfulness. That is why they've always found a special meaning even int eh fallen leaves.

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