It’s finally here.  The chill is in the air and it feels crisp in the morning.  Yes, fall is finally here.  Well, I should back up a little.  Over the past few weeks, it’s gotten cooler, for sure, but not to the degree of what late November/early December is like back at home.

In the Pacific Northwest, October is when autumn is at it’s peak.  The leaves change colors, the jackets come out and the rain starts falling….and falling, until about April, when it starts to warm up again.  So when October came, I put away my summer clothes, brought out the long sleeves and jackets and promptly regretted the fall attire I chose for the day since it was still quite warm during the day, especially when the sun was out.  It was hard to comprehend that mild temperatures exist in October and for most of November!

2 weeks ago, we heard that the 紅葉 (autumn leaves) were at its peak.  We headed to Kobe and saw some beautiful sights from the Herb Garden.

Yesterday, we went to the Kyoto Railway Museum.  It was a gorgeous day for a picnic and walk.

We thought the 紅葉 had finished, but we were in luck.

I’m still in disbelief that the weather is so mild in December.  If the peak of autumn just passed, I wonder when the peak of winter hits?  The weather app on my phone says it will be 74 degrees(?!?) tomorrow.  Looks like I’ll need to unpack those summer clothes??