momiji-gari and miyajima

omg, how long as it been since i last posted?
wait, nevermind, i don't wanna know.

hey-lo there everyone, i'm back (sorta? for now?) and i've got a picture-filled blog for you today on momiji-gari and miyajima! hooraaaaaaay!

so, what's momiji-gari? 

well, it literally means "maple leaf hunting" but before you picture bands of japanese armed with hunting rifles against snarling maple leaves, let me tell you it's a little less exciting than all that. it just means hanging out and looking at the pretty foliage that lasts about 2 weeks or so (if you're lucky). hiroshima has some gorgeous foliage this time of year and i finally got to head out to miyajima to capture some of it.

wait, what's miyajima?

it's a small island off the seto inland sea right next to dear old hiroshima prefecture and it's home to the itsukushima shrine (world heritage site, what what), wild deer, oysters a-plenty, and momiji manju (maple leaf shaped cakes). it's also got a lotta nature and a lotta foliage, making it a prime place to go huntin'.

so this is the giant torii gate that towers before the itsukushima shrine -- it's like the most cliche picture i could have taken, but this is like THE sight to see when you come to miyajima. see how little those people are? fuckin' HUGE. the tide was out so i was able to walk right on up to it too! 

here's those wild deer i was talking about. they're...pretty tame for being wild, but they will follow you around if they think you have food. this kid was pretty chill though.

 this is the 5-tiered pagoda which is on the hill next to the itsukushima shrine. also fuckin' huge.

but i digress. 

the purpose of my visit wasn't the deer or the shrine, it was maple leaves and foliage, so without any further ado...

whew! these were mostly all taken at the momiji-dani (maple leaf valley) park behind the itsukushima shrine. they were all taken with my olympus PEN SLR and i definitely finagled with the colours.

if you're ever in japan in november, really recommend going to hunt some foliage down -- but avoid going on a weekend. i was there on a tuesday and it was pretty jam-packed, so i can't imagine what the weekends are like, sheesh. 

hope you guys enjoy this little bit of fall from me to you!