Japanese traditions, Momijigari, autumn nature celebration

Except for the winter, in Japan there are nature celebration traditions in every season: the cherry blossoms in spring, the lotus flowers during summer and the colorful leaves in the autumn... The later is a very old autumn tradition, dating from the Heian Period, called kōyō or momijigari ［　紅葉狩　］, meaning "hunting the red leaves".

As with the cherry blossoms, reports called kōyō zensen ("autumn leaf front") are informing the public about the best momijigari period in various places: the leaves are starting to tint first in Hokkaido, around mid-September, and from October till November the colorful autumn tint front crosses the whole country from North to South.

Here is one of the best places for momijigari, in Nikko, at the Rinno-ji Taiyuin, where I found this beautiful red maples tree with the evergreen background of the coniferous forest...