I love the Bay Area. I love the diversity, I love the freedom, I love the weather, and I love the people. I love that you can be sitting at a cafe, and watch and old lady with a mohawk and a man dressed as a nun walk by without batting an eye. There are so many things that make the Bay Area the best place to be.
But, there is one thing that the Bay Area is missing: seasons. Yes, it gets hot in the summer (except for the foggy city) and rainy in the fall and winter, and sometimes it might be cold enough to leave frost on your window. But those aren't REAL seasons. That's just a slight change in the weather. It's just Mother Nature's way of gently telling us, "By the way, I like you better than any other area in the country, but I don't want to make everyone too jealous so we'll just change up the temperature slightly."
Each leaf in the Bay Area seems to live with the mindset of "I guess it's cold now, so I'm gonna turn brown and feebly crumple to the ground." At least, that is what goes through the minds of those leaves that aren't attached to a palm tree or an evergreen. Which, if you've been to California, you know can exist at the same time in the same yard. Just go visit my house in Danville. You'll see. But the trees in Japan aren't like that. Right now the trees are exploding with color. They have a zest for life and will prove to anyone looking just how much they love being leafy by turning awesomely hypercolor every fall. Even though the wind is blowing maniacally, they cling to their boughs with brilliant furvor and refuse to let go until they have finished turning every shade of green, yellow, orange, and red that exsits in the world. What show-offs!
I love riding the train in the morning and being able to look up at the yama and see the lush green slowly change colors with each passing day. I make a conscious effort to sit on the side of the train that can see the mountain, and I will even give up sitting on the wrong side so i can stand (gasp) and see the view. Outside one of the second floor windows of my middle school, there is a tree that was dark green on Wednesday. When I came back the following monday it had turned into the most vibrant orange I had ever seen! It looked pretty awesome against the bright blue sky (Weebly colors!).
The sad part is, the turning leaves last for such a short period. One week things are green, the next week they are changing, and then the week after that the trees are naked. But for a fleeting moment in time, Japan is alive and with colors that would make the Rainbow Goblins jealous.
In the spring time, the branches give way to buds that burst into sakura, and the once brown landscape is dotted with the delicate pink and white cherry blossoms. I'm sure I'll be writing a blog about that come March, so stay tuned.
But, there is one thing that the Bay Area is missing: seasons. Yes, it gets hot in the summer (except for the foggy city) and rainy in the fall and winter, and sometimes it might be cold enough to leave frost on your window. But those aren't REAL seasons. That's just a slight change in the weather. It's just Mother Nature's way of gently telling us, "By the way, I like you better than any other area in the country, but I don't want to make everyone too jealous so we'll just change up the temperature slightly."
Each leaf in the Bay Area seems to live with the mindset of "I guess it's cold now, so I'm gonna turn brown and feebly crumple to the ground." At least, that is what goes through the minds of those leaves that aren't attached to a palm tree or an evergreen. Which, if you've been to California, you know can exist at the same time in the same yard. Just go visit my house in Danville. You'll see. But the trees in Japan aren't like that. Right now the trees are exploding with color. They have a zest for life and will prove to anyone looking just how much they love being leafy by turning awesomely hypercolor every fall. Even though the wind is blowing maniacally, they cling to their boughs with brilliant furvor and refuse to let go until they have finished turning every shade of green, yellow, orange, and red that exsits in the world. What show-offs!
I love riding the train in the morning and being able to look up at the yama and see the lush green slowly change colors with each passing day. I make a conscious effort to sit on the side of the train that can see the mountain, and I will even give up sitting on the wrong side so i can stand (gasp) and see the view. Outside one of the second floor windows of my middle school, there is a tree that was dark green on Wednesday. When I came back the following monday it had turned into the most vibrant orange I had ever seen! It looked pretty awesome against the bright blue sky (Weebly colors!).
The sad part is, the turning leaves last for such a short period. One week things are green, the next week they are changing, and then the week after that the trees are naked. But for a fleeting moment in time, Japan is alive and with colors that would make the Rainbow Goblins jealous.
In the spring time, the branches give way to buds that burst into sakura, and the once brown landscape is dotted with the delicate pink and white cherry blossoms. I'm sure I'll be writing a blog about that come March, so stay tuned.