I received a letter from a friend who lives near Mount Daisen in Tottori Prefecture. Recently, the climate has completely changed, and I heard that the autumn foliage in various areas is still not fully in color. So, I was a bit surprised by the unchanged beauty of the autumn leaves on Mount Daisen. I used to climb Mount Daisen often, in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In autumn, I always took advantage of Culture Day on November 3rd to make the climb. The view of the mountain foothills, covered in a colorful tapestry of autumn leaves, is truly nature’s own carpet. Sometimes, there were even snow flurries.
Descending from the summit, there is Jorenin Temple by the trail, and I am reminded of the time I stayed in a room with a round window, where Naoya Shiga reportedly worked on his novel An’ya Kōro (A Dark Night’s Passing). If I had the time, I would extend my journey to Hiruzen, on the backside of Mount Daisen, passing through Masumizu Plateau. The autumn colors along the way are breathtaking, and Hiruzen’s autumn foliage is equally magnificent. The memories are endless.
Come to think of it, even the ginkgo trees near my house are laden with nuts, and people gather to pick up the fallen ginkgo nuts. It’s truly autumn, isn’t it?

鳥取県の大山近くに住む友人から便りが届きました。最近は気候もすっかり変わり、各地の紅葉もまだしと聞いていましたので、昔と変わらない大山の紅葉ぶりには少しびっくりしました。大山には春夏秋冬よく登ったものです。秋には決まって11月３日の文化の日を利用して登りました。色とりどりにに彩られた紅葉が広がる山裾の景観はまさしく天然の絨毯です。雪が吹雪く時もありました。
山頂から降りると登山道の脇に浄蓮院があり、志賀直哉が「暗夜行路」を執筆したという丸窓のある部屋に泊まったことも思い出されます。時間に余裕があれば、桝水高原を経て大山の裏側にある蒜山にも足を延ばしました。途中至る所が紅葉紅葉で、蒜山の紅葉ぶりもまた圧巻でした。思い出せばキリがない。
そういえば、家の近くのイチョウの木も銀杏が鈴なりで、落ちた銀杏を拾い集める人もいます。やっぱり秋ですね。