Compared to other places in Japan, northern regions such as Hokkaido and Aomori do experience autumn much earlier than Tokyo — typically around late October to early November. As a company employee, it’s basically difficult for me to time my annual leave according to the weather forecast or even the autumn foliage forecast. But this time, I hit the right timing — or perhaps I could call this luck, a small miracle that kept unfolding throughout my life without me even realizing it at the time, but one that I feel so grateful for far ahead in the future. Some vibrant colours around Hirosaki Castle 1:
