Stephanie in Japan: Fall! Fall! Fall!

Fall has always been my favorite season! It suits my personality perfectly. I love cool weather, warm clothes, changing leaves, the smell of autumn scented candles, Halloween, haunted houses, pumpkin patches, scary movies, and most of all warm delicious fall foods and drinks. I love the rich spices and flavors of fall.

My first year in Japan, I became very depressed during this time of year because fall just wouldn’t seem to come. Facebook statuses of friends and family back at home told of the cool weather and the return of the Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte. I felt like I was missing out on everything, that the leaves would never change, and it would always be a sweaty humid mess here. This year, I told myself that I would not let the late coming of fall get me down again.

Now that I’m in my second year here, I have become quite used to how things work. I wasn’t expecting the temperature to start dropping slightly until the end of September. In all honesty, either I’ve adjusted a bit to the heat and humidity here, or this September has felt a little cooler than the last in my opinion. Also, I am aware that the changing leaves won’t happen until November. Although I am envious that fall is already in full swing in the U.S., I know that the time will come here. In fact, it has already begun. Like I said, the temperature is no longer in the 90’s or above, some days are actually quite cool, the Halloween decorations have come out in stores, and most importantly秋分の日(Shuubun no Hi) or the Autumn Equinox has passed (on September 23^rd). In Japan, the Autumn Equinox is actually a national holiday! I’ll explain why that is so important to me later.

They really get into their seasons here which is something I appreciate. Sure, there is no Thanksgiving or several other American holidays here, but there are holidays here that we don’t have in the U.S. Also, the Japanese fall foliage is a grand sight to see in your lifetime. American fall is quite beautiful, but the Japanese put a lot more effort into it. Let me explain…it’s like they arrange and plant trees keeping in mind how it will look when fall comes. At night, certain temples will illuminate the trees in an artful manner that is breathtaking. I am very much looking forward to it again this year! Also, Japan is more mountainous compared to where I come from, and there are many tree-covered mountains where I live. I can enjoy the natural beauty of them right from my own window. What I’m getting at is that fall in Japan is very nice as well, it just comes later. Consequentially, there really isn’t much of a winter. I of course miss having a lot of snow, but really that seems to be the only part of winter I’m missing out on in Japan, and it’s something I can deal with because I can always travel in Japan to somewhere with snow. I’m just going to through this out there as well: The American spring pales in comparison to the beauty of the Japanese spring. Japan wins hands down, no competition.

I found a bright red leaf when I was
camping in Mie Prefecture.

So despite the fact that I’m doing much better this year with the turn of the season, there are still some differences between Japanese and American fall. However, I am embracing the differences and doing my best to incorporate American tradition. So, back to the Autumn Equinox day…the reason I like it so much is because I’ve decided to make an actually holiday out of it seeing as we get the day off of work. I celebrated by having the windows open (because it was kind of actually cool outside), burning a pumpkin scented candle all day, putting up my fall decorations, and cooking lots of fall food! I made vegetarian chili, cornbread, and pumpkin desserts. Also, I had a warm chai tea latte in the morning at breakfast time. It was a fantastic little day, and I really got into the fall spirit. Ever since then, I have been regularly cooking fall food and burning autumn scented candles. When the weather is cool enough, I open up all the windows and enjoy the cool breeze. Last year I didn’t eat any American style fall foods really because I thought they were impossible to make, but after living here long enough, I’ve found import stores and substitutes for ingredients. Who knew that Japanese pumpkins tasted the same as American ones?? Since they don’t sell pumpkin puree in cans here, I had to make it myself. It takes more effort, but it’s totally worth it! Also, I must thank my mother for sending me the fall candles. They make a big difference! I may not get to go to a pumpkin patch this year, but I am excited to say that I will go to Universal Studios for the Halloween event going on. It’s like the same thing that 6 Flags and other theme parks do during the fall. You can wear a costume, and there are workers dressed up as scary creatures and such that walk around the park trying to scare you. Also, I think there are haunted houses. That reminds me! I have also been watching more scary movies lately which has put me in the fall spirit. I have two Halloween parties to look forward to, and of course I have decorated my bulletin board at school for Halloween, and I’m having the students do another Halloween project this year.

Fall decor.

Vegetarian chili and cornbread.

Pumpkin desserts.

French onion soup and roasted sweet potatoes.

Pumpkin soup and cornbread casserole.

Pumpkin cake.

Pumpkin chai smoothie.

Halloween board.

Lastly, I want to say that although I’m doing a pretty good job of incorporating American tradition into my Japanese life, I am also embracing Japanese fall tradition too! Like I said, I will definitely be making a trip or two to see the fall foliage and night time illuminations, and Japan has its own slew of fall food that we don’t have in America! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to the persimmons again this year...they should be hitting the stores soon! I also made it out to the Oktober fest in Tennoji again this year. It’s kind of funny because I am beginning to realize that once I leave Japan, I am going to be missing Japanese fall food and scenery. It just goes back to what I said a few posts ago, I’m making the whole world my home a little at a time. No matter where I am, I will miss something about somewhere, but at the same time, I feel incredibly happy and thankful to have had the experience! I can always go back, and visit places, and when I do, I will always feel comfortable and welcomed.