Now is the beginning of the season of maple viewing in Japan and is one of the most colourful and brightest times of the year. Besides from cherry blossom viewing which occurs in April, autumn is the best season and there are plenty of good places to do some maple viewing.
The maple tree is so popular that the form of art associated with it is called ‘maple art’ and still continues today. The name given for centuries for this type of art in Japan is of course ‘bonsai’.
I am really ashamed to admit that I was given a maple bonsai to take care of but after a while of not watering it, it died - definitely am not a good bonsai keeper.
A website suggested the Japanese maple is a ‘symbol of grace personified… represents elegance and a sense of tastefulness’. For me, it is the colours which are attractive. The initial green colour gradually turns orange, then peaks at a bright red. Maple viewing is normally near the mountains of Japan.
Japanese maples have also been celebrated in Japanese poetry, especially in the "waka" or "tanka" style court poetry that originated from the seventh to the thirteenth century. Maple leaves were a source of inspiration and is a topic still widely used today in poetry.
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