1In Japan, many people go hunting in autumn. But they do not hunt animals. They hunt for red and yellow leaves! This is called momijigari. Momiji means colored autumn leaves, and gari means hunting. Nobody takes anything home. People just walk, look, and take photos.

2This custom is very old. About 1,000 years ago, people at the emperor's court went to the hills to enjoy the colors. Later, in the Edo period, people in the towns went too. There is even a famous old play about it. In the story, a brave man goes deer hunting and meets a group of women. They invite him to their leaf party, but the beautiful woman there is really a demon!

3Why do leaves change color? In autumn, the green color in the leaves breaks down. Then the yellow color, hidden all summer, can be seen. The red color is new. The leaves make it in autumn. Trees start to change when the coldest part of the day goes below 8 degrees. Cold nights and sunny days make the colors even brighter.

4The cherry blossom front moves north in spring. But the autumn leaf front moves south! It starts in Hokkaido in October and reaches the south of Kyushu in December. Trees on high mountains change first, so the tops turn red before the towns below. People in America enjoy autumn leaves too, and they call it leaf peeping. So where will you go hunting this fall?