Autumn in Japan is awesome!!
Ask the Japanese “What season is autumn for?”
They would say “”autumn is the season for sports.”
Another says “autumn is the season for eating.”
Maybe “autumn is the season for reading”
Or “autumn is the season for arts”
But why the Japanese like to do things in autumn so much?
It is extremely hot and humid in summer in Japan and people don’t feel like doing something. However, once summer passes and autumn comes, lots of events are happening all over Japan. Not only autumn is considered the most comfortable season in year, but also there are many national holidays and festivals.
The 2nd Monday in October is Health and Sports day is called Taiiku no hi. The Tokyo Olympic started on October 10th in 1964 and it is established in memory of the beginning of Olympic. Its purpose is to promote sports and mental health. Because the weather is good, on Taiiku no hi, a lots of sports events are held all over Japan especially at schools.
November 3rd is Culture day; Bunka no hi. Constitution of Japan was enacted on the day in 1946 and it is the national holiday dedicated “the love of freedom and peace and promotion of culture.” On this day, arts and culture festivals are held at each school and region society. Many universities have their school festivals on campus and entertain their neighborhood. Japanese government also gives culture service awards to people who contributed to Japanese culture.
Shichi-Go-San is a traditional festival day in Japan for three and seven year-old girls and three and five year-old boys to celebrate their growth and to pray for their future good health, held on November 15. Nowadays, seven, five, or three year-old children are dressed in Kimono and taken to a shrine. At the shrine, they participate in traditional Shinto ritual for purification to wish their healthy growth in the future.
November 23rd is the Labor Thanksgiving Day; Kinro kansha no hi, is now designed for the people to honor labor, celebrate manufacturing and give thanks to one another. Originally, from ancient time, Shinto Harvest Festival was held on this day to appreciate to the gods for the year’s new rice and Emperor tastes it. Of course we don’t cook turkey at Kinro kansha no hi.
We also have many seasonal foods you should taste in autumn. If you like fish, you might want to try Sanma, Katsuo , and Salmon. Katuo is coming back from the North Sea and Salmon is coming back to the river they are born. So they are delicious with just enough fat. Fruits harvest also comes at this time, especially, apples, grapes, pears, persimmons are sweet and tasty.
If you want to visit Japan, I definitely recommend in autumn because the weather is nice and fall turned the leaves to vivid red, orange and yellow. Food is also wonderful and there are lots of events almost every day in Japan.