Seasonal Dilemmas

It is the middle of December, but in Japan the weather was so mild this autumn that the foliage of the trees did no reach their peak until now. Viewing autumn colors is almost as important as viewing cherry blossoms in spring and inextricably linked to the Japanese feeling for the seasons as extolled in numberless Nihonron, which basically are theories about the Japanese written by Japanese to be read by Japanese in order to find out what is Japanese about the Japanese. The unseasonable warmth however has led to a terrible mix up of autumn colors and Christmas ornaments, not to mention Christmas carols that are inflicted upon everyone daring to step into any sort of public location.