Dec 8

Dec 8 紅葉 - Viewing of autumn leaves

The Japanese do like their seasons. They get excited by seasonal food and like to celebrate seasonal festivities.
One of the seasonal festivities known all around the world is the viewing of the cherry blossoms. Another one, less famous internationally but almost equally cherished in Japan is the viewing of the autumn leaves 紅葉 - Kouyou. Unfortunately during peak season in Tokyo (End of November, Start of December this year) wie had too much to do to fully enjoy the magnificent colours. But we managed to visit 六義園 - Rikugien the Rikugi park after work one day. During peak season of the autumn colours, they light the park in the evenings and there are stands selling snacks and 甘酒 - Amazake, a hot, sweet, slightly alcoholic drink. Being Austrian I am missing Christmas Markets this time of the year, but drinkinking a steaming hot alcoholic drink in a (relatively) cold environment with a lot of excited people around really reminded me of it. All in all it was a fantastic experience that I highly recommend. We tried our best to capture the beautiful colours and atmosphere in pictures, but amateurish as we are, the results can't really mach the reality. See yourself:

Oh, and since the writing of this text occurred some time after the visit, and this actually is an important information for such a seasonal event: we went there on November 25th.