The Season for Swimming with Fish is Over, and Now it's Time for Autumn Activities.

Japanese Picture Diary・November 15, 2022

The season for swimming with fish is over. Summer passed by too quickly!

 There are some things I enjoy about Autumn too though.

Firstly, there are the obvious joys of Autumn in Japan, such as the warm Autumn light, vivid blue skies, changing Momiji leaf colors, and delicious foods.

There are also a couple unusual curiosities I’ve had since I moved here, such as the bird that sounds like it’s screaming (I never seem to be able to see it, just hear it). There are also bushes that have tiny flowers that smell just like orange-flavored TicTacs (a breath mint candy from the United States).

There is one Autumn passion though, that shares similarities with my Summer passion of swimming with, and learning about, various fishes.

It’s immersing myself into the “sea of moji (文字)” and the Japanese language (moji is Japanese for “character”).

There are more fish species than all other vertebrate animals combined. There are more various Japanese characters, ways of reading them, and styles of expressing them than there are various species of fish in the entire sea.

Japanese characters are interesting, beautiful, and mysterious like life in the ocean.

Warm hōjicha (ほうじ茶) and delicious autumn food help with transitioning into the autumn season, along with deepening my studies. 

Swimming with fish was good exercise though, so I have to find a way to stay healthy and not let these Autumn joys make me fat.