January 12, 2026
December 8, 2025
Autumn leaves by Kasumiga-ike pond: Kenrokuen garden (Kanazawa-city)
The evergreen needles of the red pines are quietly surrounding the maple leaves, and the moss-covered stone arrangement on the island is modestly accentuating the vivid, fiery hues of the autumn foliage.
The chilly, northern wind will soon fade these radiant leaves, causing them to scatter bit by bit. Finally, their flaming colors will be extinguished completely by the long, gloomy winter coming on.
Autumn leaves, with their vivid display of peak color followed by the inevitable fall, have long been regarded as a symbol of "Mono no aware" (the pathos of nature) in the traditional Japanese sense of beauty.
This ephemeral beauty deeply resonates with the Japanese perception of impermanence, in which the most splendid moments of our loves and lives always include the beginning of final decline.
Autumn leaves by Kasumiga-ike pond: Kenrokuen garden (Kanazawa-city)
A late autumn breeze is gently ruffling the calm surface of the beautiful pond, creating tiny, shimmering ripples that are spreading across the water without disturbing its graceful calmness.
The autumn leaves are gradually scattering and falling around the base of the trees, continuing to color the faded ground as if to weave a thick crimson carpet for the freezing winter.
Whereas cherry blossoms represent an explosion of life that blooms all at once and falls all together in spring, autumn leaves are often perceived as the perfected, mature beauty that gracefully appears and quietly fades away at the last moment.
Leaving behind faint, beautiful memories, the seasons are changing hurriedly. Beneath winter's cold sky, I will surely recall with nostalgia the blazing colors of such autumn leaves.
Autumn leaves by Kasumiga-ike pond: Kenrokuen garden (Kanazawa-city)
When the vibrant autumn leaves finish scattering, a harsh, long winter must arrive here as always.
On the edge of the pond, as if to cherish the last remnants of late autumn, the maple leaves are vying with each other for flaming colors. The vermilion reflection of the leaves is sparkling faintly on the pond surface rippled by a chilly north wind.
"Yuki-tsuri" (snow hanging) ropes have already been attached from the top of an old black-pine tree to the lower branches to prevent their breaking under heavy snow during the long snowfall season.
The winter season of Kanazawa City is the unique combination of coldness, snow, and heavy skies, which is characteristic of the Sea of Japan coast.
Kanazawa City in winter is known for its extremely few sunny days. Clouds hang low, and rain or sleet falls intermittently. This “gloomy semidarkness” is said to create a psychological harshness and endurance. But this very harshness has nurtured the unique aesthetic sensibility of this old northern city.
The beauty of preparedness and endurance, which is symbolized by the snow-hanging ropes, has mothered the unique, traditional culture, like lacquerware, Kutani-ware porcelain, gold leaf, and Kaga-yuzen textiles, that stands out against the winter darkness.
Autumn leaves around the fountain of Kenrokuen garden (Kanazawa-city)
Kenroku-en is a garden of flowing water, where various watercourses, together with diverse plantings and stone arrangements, create the unique scenery of this historic Daimyo garden.
Abundant water drawn from the Saigawa River through the Tatsumi-yousui Canal is stored in Kasumiga-ike pond of this garden. This water then flows through underground channels and is spouted high into the air from this Japan's oldest fountain by utilizing the garden's natural difference of elevation.
A teahouse once stood before this fountain, where the feudal lords of the Maeda family are said to have enjoyed tea ceremonies while admiring their treasured fountain throughout the changing seasons.
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