THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTUMN IN JAPANESE CULTURE

Across the world, each season paints the landscape with its own mood and meaning. In Europe, we often connect the seasons not only with changing colors and shifting atmospheres, but even with music. Who hasn’t tried to guess which melody in Antonio Vivaldi’s magnificent The Four Seasons corresponds to each season of the year? The importance of a season, after all, depends on what it has historically meant in each country. Some seasons are dreaded, while others are eagerly awaited.

It is the same in Japan, where each season carries its own cultural weight, reflected in art, poetry, and tradition. Today, we’ll step into autumn, a season that in Japan embodies both brilliance and impermanence. As leaves blaze crimson before falling, artists and poets have long drawn inspiration from the fleeting splendor of this time of year.

Autumn as a painting

The idea of depicting the seasons in art has a long history in Japan, particularly with yamato-e, a classic style of painting inspired by the pictorial works of the Chinese Tang dynasty. Another important genre was the shiki-e, or “pictures of the four seasons.” Both flourished in the Heian period (794–1185). In these works, autumn was marked by brilliant red maples, pampas grass swaying under the moon, or chrysanthemums in bloom. Such motifs weren’t just pretty decorations; they carried layers of meaning. Momiji (maples) embodied both vitality and impermanence, while chrysanthemums symbolized longevity and dignity.

One of the most famous early visual records is found in the Genji Monogatari Emaki (The Tale of Genji illustrated scrolls, 12th century). Certain scenes are set in autumn, and the choice of seasonal detail helps to deepen the mood: the blaze of leaves, the sound of wind, or a moonlit night reflecting on water. Over time, artists like Hiroshige and Hokusai (known for The Great Wave Off Kanagawa) brought autumn landscapes into the ukiyo-e woodblock tradition, making them accessible to townspeople. Hiroshige’s prints in particular capture glowing hillsides, rice fields ready for harvest, and temple gardens carpeted in red leaves.

Even today, autumn exhibitions are common in Japanese museums and galleries, where classic and contemporary works alike highlight the seasonal shift. Paintings of geese migrating, persimmons ripening on bare branches, or moon-viewing gatherings remind visitors of how this imagery has remained constant for centuries.

Autumn’s poetry

If art gives autumn a visual form, poetry gives it a voice. In Japan, autumn is one of the richest poetic seasons, appearing in anthologies as old as the Manyōshū (8th century) and the Kokin Wakashū (905). These works don’t just describe scenery; they express feelings of melancholy, longing, and appreciation for impermanence.
One waka from the Kokin Wakashū opens the autumn section with surprise at the season’s arrival:

“I could not see clearly
that autumn had come,
but suddenly —
startled by the sound of the wind.”
— Fujiwara no Toshiyuki (c. 9th century)

Haiku, a short Japanese poem of three lines that follows a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, are especially suited to autumn’s sharp, fleeting impressions. Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694), the great haiku master, left many verses about autumn, including:

“On a withered branch
a crow has settled—
autumn evening.”

Here, the quiet image captures not just the sight of autumn but its emotion: loneliness, stillness, and acceptance of change. Another haiku, written in his later life, shows how autumn can mirror personal reflection:

“First autumn morning—
the mirror I stare into
shows my father’s face.”

Both poems embody mono no aware, the Japanese sensitivity to the beauty of impermanence.

Experiencing autumn in Japan

This cultural celebration of autumn is not confined to art and poetry. It is lived out in traditions like momijigari (maple leaf viewing), where families and travelers alike seek out mountainsides, temple gardens, and riversides glowing with red and gold. Just as spring brings cherry blossom picnics, autumn brings excursions to admire leaves. Kyoto’s temples, Nikko’s cedar-lined paths, and even Tokyo’s parks transform into destinations for leaf viewing.

Autumn festivals also highlight chrysanthemums, the season’s symbolic flower. The Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Doll Festival in Fukushima, for instance, blends floral art with cultural storytelling, while chrysanthemum exhibitions across the country showcase elaborate displays of this dignified bloom. Food also becomes part of the seasonal experience; dishes with matsutake mushrooms, roasted chestnuts, and persimmons reflect the harvest and add a sensory richness to the season.

Autumn in modern Japan

What image do Japanese people have of autumn today? On the one hand, it remains deeply tied to tradition: the glow of momiji, the taste of autumn foods, the sound of crickets in the evening. On the other hand, autumn has also become associated with new, modern idioms. There is a saying, shokuyoku no aki (autumn, the season of appetite), because cooler weather brings heartier meals. Another is dokushō no aki (autumn, the season of reading) since long evenings are perfect for books. Sports festivals are often held in autumn, making supōtsu no aki (autumn, the season of sports) another familiar phrase.

For many Japanese today, autumn combines nostalgia with comfort. It is a time to savor, whether by walking under fiery maples, enjoying cultural events, or simply cozying up with a seasonal snack. While the imagery of classical poetry, loneliness, impermanence, still resonates, autumn is also seen as a season of abundance, reflection, and balance.

In Japanese culture, autumn is more than a transition between summer and winter. It is a profound source of inspiration that links art, poetry, tradition, and everyday life. From Heian-period scrolls to Bashō’s haiku, from temple leaf viewings to modern expressions of seasonal joy, autumn reminds people to pause and appreciate the fleeting beauty around them. It is both brilliant and fragile, fiery and fading, a season that captures the very essence of Japanese aesthetics. So that’s why Autumn matters so much in Japan!

Featured Photo Credit: NTRdesign

Ready to embark on an unforgettable autumn adventure in Japan? Check out our top autumn tours to embrace the magic of the season!