In our little garden we have a Japanese maple tree, or momiji as it is called in Japanese. It is my favorite tree, I adore the small star shaped leaves that shift from green to orange to the most intense shade of red in autumn. Coming home after having picked up my son from the kindergarten bus one day, we found ourselves standing for a long time in the driveway, just looking down.
At the ground in front of us lay the most beautiful leaf, encapsulating the beauty of not only autumn but of nature, of life in Japan, and of passing time. My son was also intrigued by the colors and wanted to bring them into the house, so we ended up bringing a branch from the little tree inside and putting it in a vase. The leaves have already started to whither, and looking at it now… It is difficult to stop.
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