果樹栽培を中心とする趣味の実践記録

Autumn Colour of Maple Leaves (Autumnal Tints of Leaves) of Kirishima Onsenkyo on November 20, 2016

I went to Kirishima Onsenkyo with my wife by my car to see Koyo of maple leaves on November 20, 2016. Kirishima Onsenkyo locates in Kirishima City in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Kirishima is famous for sightseeing spots such as Kirishima-jingu Shrine (霧島神宮), Lake Miike (御池), volcanic Mt. Kirishimasan (霧島山) including Mt. Takachihonomine(高千穂峰), and so on. Onsenkyo means hot spring village. Koyo means crimson foliage of maple leaves. Generally, the meaning of Koyo includes yellow-colored leaves of the ginkgo (gingko). November is a season when the falling leaves turn a beautiful vivid red. People go out to see the colored leaves and mountains. This act is called momiji-gari (もみじ狩り) that is a combined term of “momiji” (maple) and “kari” (hunting). Because maple is not an animal, it is strange to combine maple with hunting. But, we Japanese conventionally say or use the term “momiji-gari”, that is not pronounced as “momiji-kari”. Similar combinations are seen as strawberry picking (ichigo-gari, いちご狩り)、pear picking (nashi-gari, 梨狩り)、grape collecting (budo-gari, ブドウ狩り)、mushroom hunting
(kinoko-gari, キノコ狩り), and so on.

November is the best fall month to go sightseeing Kirishima Onsenkyo.

Photographs of Koyo of maple leaves are shown below.