i would apologize for the pun in the title, but i’m not really that sorry.  i like puns.

as summer draws to a close, fall is starting to descend upon us here on the glorious izu peninsula.  the weather is getting a little chillier, the wind is starting to pick up, and nature is beginning to throw yet another astounding seasonal bounty in our direction.

spring in japan in beautiful.  summer in japan is beautiful.  even winter in japan is beautiful.  but fall makes them all pale in comparison.  the color of the mountains, the golden waving fields of plump rice, and the harvest moon all seem to invite even the most lowly foreigner (i.e. me) to get out and see japan in all of its natural glory.

needless to say, i accepted the invitation.  this last weekend, i went out to the bamboo forest, and between drinking and barbecuing and eating tasty treats, we all found the time to wander across some okazawa-san’s land and see what mama nature had to offer.

the highlights?  a whole boatload of chestnuts, a few bulbs of myoga, a hitch-hiking female mantis, and a beautiful lady who (despite being a little hungover from the prior night of partying) saw fit to grace me with her company.  all in all, a superb day.

have any fellow fall lovers caught wind of autumn in other parts of the world?  throw me a story or two in the comment section below whenever you get the chance.