What are the plants and trees that colour Japan wonderfully in autumn ?
As it was written in some of Heian era poems (784-1185), “hunting” the autumn leaves and the beauty of its colours is something that Japanese love to do since a long time, and a true symbol of the season changing like cherry blossom in Spring. Koyo (autumn leaves) literally means red in Japanese, and defines the leaves of momiji, the Japanese maple tree. Momiji leaves are often drawn on kimono or symbolized in some traditional rituals as the tea ceremony (sadô). The autumn leaves in Japan already starts in the north in Hokkaido in September, and the colors beautify nature before the arrival of winter. What are the trees and plants that make mountains, landscapes, and Japanese gardens true pieces of art ?
Aomori Prefecture: true ocean of colours as early as October
Red
- Red is the colour of the Japanese maple tree, momiji, a tree that counts a wide range of species, some of which vary from yellow to light brown.
- Japanese lacquer tree(Urushi ウルシ) : A tree whose resin is used to make lacquer for traditional Japanese utensils, a technique that is thousands of years old.
- Nanakamado (kind of rowan or mountain-ash from northern Japan and the Sakhalin Islands in Russia): On the picture below is a nanakamado from Mount Norikura in Nagano Prefecture.
Yellow : - Momiji : Once again, Japanese maple tree gives us its best colors during the fall.
- Ginkgo : Known as the oldest tree species in the world, dating back well before dinosaurs, more than 270 million years ago and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Below is a natural tunnel of Ginkgo in Tokyo.
- The plane-tree : A common tree in Europe but also found in Japan in sumptuous parks such as below at the Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo.
Then there will be foliage ranging from light brown to dark brown, especially with some trees similar to those found more commonly in Europe such as chestnut, magnolia. For those who come to visit Japan in the coming days, Tokyo's koyo is fast approaching. You will still have the chance to admire autumn until early December if you go to Kyushu!
Click here to learn even more about Japanese koyo!