Herbst / autumn

秋 aki

Early autumn shoshû: approx. month October, start of deciduous tree colouring, autumn rains (shûrin, shûu) and typhoon season with extreme rainfall and winds. “High autumn”: approx. mid-October to mid-November. Bare fruit trees and peak of the red-yellow-orange colour spectacle, caused by the discolouration of the maple and other deciduous trees. Rice harvest in the centre of Japan. Late autumn banshû: approx. mid-November to early December. Wintry winds in the centre, first snowfall in the northern part of the country. The autumn leaves are classified by two different terms: Kôyô (紅葉) and momiji (もみじ). Kôyô describes foliage with red and yellow colours, while momiji specifically describes the intense red maple leaves that are particularly spectacular during the season.