"Light Rains Sometimes Fall" (Microseason 53) This is the time of year when light rains are common, and with each occurrence the season seems to grow colder. These rains are the result of northwesterly winds that cool down dramatically as they approach mountaintops, causing cloud formations. This makes them particularly common in regions like Kyoto, Nagano, Gifu and Fukushima, which have mountains to one side. Japan has over 50 nouns to describe rain and many of them belong to the season of autumn. Susuki means the long rains of fall, kosame are light rains and shigure are the sudden rains that are gone before you can even take out your umbrella. | | (Do you want more seasonal events, recipes, poems and art in your inbox? Become a member!) | | the spoon & tamago dispatch | | Randoseru for dogs Tsuchiya Kaban, the 58-year old Japanese leather bagmaker, has released their very first line-up of pet products. And their doggy randoseru is absolutely adorable. For those who aren't familiar, randoseru are backpacks for kids made to last a lifetime. Read more... | | | An ad for 'emptiness' If you've boarded the Tokyo Metro this month, there's a good chance you walked into a train car that had been "emptied out" of all advertisements. Turn out, it's an ad campaign for Borraginol Smooth, an over-the-counter laxative. Read more... | | | Engawa Nursing Home As Japan's population continues to grow older, care for the elderly becomes an increasingly important issue. And while elderly populations are typically seen as a burden, there are places around rural Japan that offer glimpses of a more hopeful future. One where innovators and designers are demonstrating what's possible, not with robotic caregivers, but with a fundamental redesign of what care for the elderly could look like. Read more... | | | | For just $5 per month, support independent publishing, and Japanese arts & crafts, by becoming a Spoon & Tamago member! | | tidbits from all corners of Japan | | | Shibuya has declared all-out war on Halloween and their latest tactic is to blockade the popular Hachiko statue as a means of dettering crowds. Free Hachiko!! | | At the Yuushien botanical gardens in Shimane, a seasonal event of 10,000 dahlias floating in their lake (on view through 11/5) | | a celebration of fall Ah, autumn. It's the season of warm tea kettles, glorious colors, the scents of harvest, and the deep purple hues of the kikyo flower, which is in full bloom right now. Our Autumn Collection is a celebration of everything we love about the season. | | | | |