Miyajima and the Maple Face Monkey

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Yes, after last weeks adventures in the reds, greens and whites up around Fukui, I decided that I would catch the last of the season I one of the countries most famous places for viewing the Kouyou or leafs changing colour, Miyajima.

Ok. Your probably getting bored of the red leaves thing by now.


WELL I’M NOT SO HAH!!

Don’t worry though this will be the last one about the changing leaves in Japan, the last leaves were slowly withering away down in Miyajima and the winter will therefore be truly kicking in soon.


The weather gauge is hanging around he 13-degree area and has been steadily dropping recently.


In fact, the temperature has managed to change by around 20 degrees in a 6 weeks, requiring a sudden scramble for the long johns, and a re-donning of my old man cardigan.


The cold hasn’t hit me quite as hard as last year. I think after 23 years of central heating, it can come as quite a shock to the system to be waking up to see you breath like cigar smoke in the morning.

However, the Autumn period is, I’ve decided, my favorite season and for obvious reasons including; probably the best and least immobilizing weather, a surplus of Satsuma’s on that I can’t barely get through, not to mention of course the beautiful changing color of the country.


I was scheduled in to take the level 3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, an international test that was to be taken in Hiroshima University.

This in its self was quite and experience, and pretty much a days worth of sitting in test rooms waiting for automated machines to drilled your language ability.
I’ll spare you the details, but I think I did ok. The results come out in February.


Miyajima was looking fantastic and although I was a little late and a lot of the leafed shad already fallen, there were enough to make the trip well worthwhile and I saw a red faced monkey who like the chameleon of the rainforests had changed color to match the general mood of the season.
As the season ends, his face will take on a brown dark shade, only to return to green come the spring.


I hope everyone else is having a great autumn too, and these pics have inspired you to hit the Heath or wherever to cluster around trees, ohhhing and ahhhing, cameras flashing....

You never know. Could be happening right now.

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Photos

Reds and yellows
Poking through the trees

Maple Face Monkey
it only comes out when the leaves are red. Lies.

In the shadows
There you go.
2 Top 3's in as many weeks.