Japan in Autumn

personal updates and questions answered

Shōdō Kawarazaki (1889–1973), one of my favorite modern Japanese artists, created a stunning woodblock print of spider lilies (Lycoris spp.).

I am not someone to accelerate the seasons.

Costco had pumpkin pies for sale the other day, but I opted for the chocolate muffins (hoping they were inspired by the muffins at the Paris Olympics—alas, they were not).

My husband will be the first to tell you that I love pumpkin pie. I also love that Costco sells their pies for $6. But I rarely buy them because when I want some, I want a slice or two, not a Costco-sized affair.

And it is September.

Not even the equinox has arrived.

(Spider lilies, by the way, are known as 彼岸花 (higanbana) in Japanese. Equinox flowers would be the literal translation. They bloom near the autumnal equinox and are also said to bloom over old grave sites, but that’s a story for Halloween, perhaps.)

I don’t want to eat pumpkin pie until at least mid-October, although I usually wait until Thanksgiving most years.

And as strange as the Seattle weather has been of late—some wildfire smoke has been in the air, and we had unseasonal highs in the 80s this past week—I still want tomatoes and corn. And peaches. All of which are still available at farm stands, thank goodness.

September is also submission season.

I’ve been sending some essays to literary magazines. Some excerpts from my re-subtitled memoir (it’s now Crying in a Foreign Language: Coming Out and the Home I Always Wanted) are also being sent around. One of those excerpts, from the end of the book, was awarded an honorable mention for the memoir/personal essay category in the 93rd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. And I’m still querying agents, which counts as submissions, too. I am also writing new essays after finishing a long revision pass on my memoir’s manuscript. My fingers are crossed for two literary announcements later this month (and when I have good news, I will let you all know).

What about autumn in Japan?

After living in Japan for ten years, I have to be honest. None of the trips that Hiro and I took to Japan since relocating to the US in 1998 have been in autumn. In 2006, we went in June. In 2016, in December. In 2023, in March and April. And, if the stars align for 2025, we will go in May.

But autumn is a wonderful time to visit Japan.