Eat a Persimmon

Living in Japan as a Japanese, this autumn season reminds us many thing. There are actually many phrases on this season. The best well known and used cliches are “食欲の秋 (Autumn of Appetite)”, “スポーツの秋 (Autumn of Sports)” and “読書の秋 (Autumn of Reading)”. If you could quote one of these and talk with Japanese on these topics, you are the true Japanese.

All these cliches seems to be coming from the environmental changing in this season. Almost every delicious foods are in season, it is really suitable to have physical sporting activities in this season, and due to getting dark earlier, you have plenty of time to read or watch something in your home.

And especially, you need to memorize one more Haiku to spend Japanese autumn. The Haiku was read by a great Haiku author Shiki Masaoka.

柿食えば
鐘が鳴るなり
法隆寺

Eat a persimmon
And the bell will toll
At Horyuji

Yeah, I know. I don’t know the meaning at all, and why this haiku such a famous that we can all suddenly say to others. But, it’s such a simple, and also triggers many emotional feelings of Japanese. So, I ate Japanese persimmon yesternight. That was delicious even without the bell.