"Momiji Hunting"

Vast sky

vast earth

autumn passes, too.

-Kobayashi Issa

Momiji-gari,

otherwise known as

leaf hunting.

Into northern Kyoto

we ventured,

climbing Kurama-Yama,

because the mountains' leaves change fastest.

Stopping at a traditional hotel,

we ate wonders.

Before my roast beef,

I braved a fish head.

{Another on my list of "eaten strange foods".}

Followed by mango sherbet

with pomegranate.

I always feel spirited away

when scaling the steps

of a Japanese shrine.

Reds, golds, greens, purples.

My camera only caught a breath

of the stunning beauty of the momiji.

{Music via Cecile Corbel}