Autumn in Japan

When Americans think of October, they usually think of Halloween, football season and baseball playoffs. The Japanese also think of three things, but they are a wee bit different, especially considering they don't celebrate Halloween here. Those three things are: sports no aki, dokusho, and shokuyoku/mikaku.

What do these things mean? Well the first one, sports no aki, means "fall sports." But unlike in the U.S., it isn't professional sports that Japanese are wild about in autumn, it's elementary, junior high, and high school sports day. This special day, called undoukai in Japanese, takes place on 10/10 every year, taking advantage of Japan's great fall weather. Sports days feature track and field events like relay races, sprints and tug-o-war. The events are especially popular with elementary school students, who are adorable dressed all alike in their red shorts, white t-shirts and red caps. Their parents usually come and videotape the sports, and you can hear the loudspeakers broadcasting from the school playgrounds all around the neighborhood.

Dokusho means "reading books." In October, the nights begin to get longer and cooler, so instead of going out partying like they do during the short, hot summer nights, Japanese people think autumn is the perfect time to curl up at home with a good book. Of course, with school starting to really get into gear after the short Japanese summer vacation (about 7 weeks), some people may not have the option of casual reading; they must study textbooks instead.

Finally, there is autumn's shokuyoku (appetite), brought on by aki no mikaku (fall's good-tasting foods). Among those fruits which are best enjoyed in autumn are the mikan (tangerine), ringo (apple) and budo (grape), to name only a few. But more expensive and exotic are the famous Japanese matsutake mushrooms and kuri, or chestnuts. While both of these are used in a variety of delicious fall foods, they are both particularly famous for appearing mixed in rice. Why do people love to eat so much in the fall? Is it a function of instinct, fattening up for the winter?

There are other fall changes in Japan to rival those of the turning leaves. For example, turning the channels of your TV will reward you with numerous special shows featuring all the famous geinojin (celebrities) doing zany things. This is because, just like in the U.S., fall is the time to begin new programming. Programs also change in Japan in April.

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