Alex in Japan — Episode 07
Momijigari, Minoh Falls, and the Mystery of Edible Maple Leaves
- Chapter 1 — Hunting for WHAT?!
- Chapter 2 — Green Maple, Red Maple?!
- Chapter 3 — Wait… We Have to WALK There?!
- Chapter 4 — The River Is Turning RED?!
- Chapter 5 — YOU CAN EAT MAPLE LEAVES?!
- Chapter 6 — A Different Color, A New Adventure
- 1. What Does Momijigari Mean?
- 2. What’s the Difference Between Ao-momiji and Autumn Momiji?
- 3. Where Can You Enjoy Autumn Leaves Near Osaka and Kyoto?
- 4. What Is Minoh Falls?
- 5. Does the Water Really Turn Red?
- 6. Can You Really Eat Maple Leaves?
- Japanese Words to Remember
- Planning an Autumn Trip to Osaka or Kyoto?
- About Alex in Japan
Chapter 1 — Hunting for WHAT?!
It was a Friday afternoon in late November.
Outside our classroom window, the trees had turned red, yellow, and orange.
I couldn’t stop staring.
“WOW!”
Haru looked up from his notebook.
Haru: “What now, Alex?”
“THE TREES!”
Haru: “What about them?”
“THEY’RE TURNING RED!”
Haru glanced outside.
Haru: “Yeah. It’s autumn.”
“I KNOW THAT!”
Haru: “Then why are you shouting?”
“BECAUSE THEY LOOK AMAZING!”
Haru smiled.
Haru: “If you like autumn leaves so much, we should go momijigari.”
I blinked.
“Momiji… what?”
Haru: “Momijigari.”
“MO-MI-JI-GA-RI!”
Haru: “Pretty good.”
“What does it mean?”
Haru: “Autumn leaf viewing.”
I nodded.
“OH! LIKE GOING OUT TO SEE THE TREES?”
Haru: “Exactly.”
Then he added something.
Haru: “The word literally means something like ‘autumn leaf hunting.’”
I froze.
“…HUNTING?”
Haru: “Yeah.”
I slowly stood up.
“WE’RE GOING HUNTING?!”
Haru looked worried.
Haru: “Alex…”
“DO I NEED A NET?!”
Haru: “No.”
“A BASKET?!”
Haru: “No.”
“CAMOUFLAGE?!”
Haru: “Definitely not.”
I leaned closer.
“THEN HOW DO WE CATCH THE LEAVES?!”
Haru closed his eyes.
Haru: 「……葉っぱは逃げへんから。」
(…The leaves aren’t going to run away.)
I stared at him.
“So we don’t catch anything?”
Haru: “No.”
“We don’t even collect leaves?”
Haru: “That’s not the point. We go somewhere beautiful and enjoy looking at the autumn colors.”
I slowly sat down.
“SO…”
Haru waited.
“JAPAN HAS THE MOST PEACEFUL HUNTING ACTIVITY IN THE WORLD?!”
Haru laughed.
Haru: 「……まあ、平和なんは間違ってへんな。」
(…Well, it certainly is peaceful.)
I looked outside again.
A red maple leaf drifted gently past the window.
For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“HEY, HARU!”
Haru: “What?”
“LET’S GO LEAF HUNTING!”
Haru sighed.
Haru: 「……せやから、狩るわけちゃうって。」
(…I told you, we’re not actually hunting anything.)
But he was smiling too.
Chapter 2 — Green Maple, Red Maple?!
During lunch, Haru opened a map on his phone.
Haru: “There are lots of good places for autumn leaves around Osaka and Kyoto.”
I leaned over his shoulder.
“SHOW ME!”
He showed me a photograph of a quiet temple entrance.
A beautiful thatched gate stood beneath colorful trees.
Moss covered the stones beside the path.
Haru: “This is Hōnen-in Temple in Kyoto.”
I stared at the screen.
“THAT LOOKS LIKE A PLACE FROM A FANTASY MOVIE!”
Haru: “It’s a quiet temple near the Philosopher’s Path.”
“DOES IT HAVE A SECRET FOREST?”
Haru: “It’s surrounded by trees.”
“CLOSE ENOUGH!”
Haru swiped to another photograph.
This time, bright red maple leaves surrounded temple buildings and a pond.
Haru: “This is Eikandō, another famous autumn spot in Kyoto.”
“WOW!”
Then another photograph appeared.
A temple in the mountains.
Red and orange leaves.
And lots of tiny red dolls.
“WAIT!”
Haru: “What?”
“WHY ARE THERE LITTLE RED PEOPLE EVERYWHERE?!”
Haru laughed.
Haru: “Those are daruma dolls. This is Katsuo-ji Temple in Minoh, Osaka.”
“THEY’RE SO CUTE!”
Haru: “Katsuo-ji is also known for its beautiful autumn colors.”
I pointed at the map.
“SO WE CAN SEE ALL OF THESE?”
Haru: “Not all in one afternoon. We’d need to plan properly.”
I nodded seriously.
“UNDERSTOOD. OPERATION AUTUMN ADVENTURE.”
Haru sighed.
Haru: 「……また大げさな名前つけてる。」
(…There you go giving everything a dramatic name again.)
Then he showed me one more photograph.
A forest filled with bright green maple leaves.
I tilted my head.
“WAIT…”
Haru: “What?”
“THOSE MAPLE LEAVES ARE GREEN!”
Haru: “Yeah. That’s ao-momiji.”
“AO-MOMIJI?”
Haru: “It means green maple leaves. They’re especially beautiful in spring and early summer.”
I looked at the photograph.
Then at the red leaves outside our classroom.
“SO JAPAN HAS TWO TYPES OF MAPLES?! GREEN ONES AND RED ONES?!”
Haru shook his head.
Haru: “Not necessarily. The same maple tree can have green leaves in warmer months and red or yellow leaves in autumn.”
I froze.
“THE SAME TREE?!”
Haru: “Yeah.”
“IT CHANGES COLOR?!”
Haru: “That’s what autumn leaves do.”
I stared at him.
“HARU…”
Haru: “What?”
“JAPANESE TREES CHANGE THEIR OUTFITS!”
Haru laughed.
Haru: 「……木の衣替えってことか。」
(…So it’s like the trees changing their clothes.)
“EXACTLY!”
Haru showed me a final photograph.
A tall waterfall.
A winding river.
And a forest glowing red and gold.
Haru: “How about this place tomorrow?”
I leaned closer.
“IS THAT KYOTO?!”
Haru: “Nope. It’s Minoh Falls in Osaka.”
“THAT’S IN OSAKA?!”
Haru: “Yeah.”
I stared at the waterfall.
Then at Haru.
Then back at the waterfall.
“WE’RE GOING!”
Haru: “There’s a bit of walking involved.”
“NO PROBLEM!”
Haru: “About forty-five minutes from the station.”
“EASY!”
Haru looked at me suspiciously.
Haru: 「……ほんまに大丈夫か？」
(…Are you really sure you’ll be okay?)
I grinned.
“TRUST ME!”
Haru sighed.
For some reason, he didn’t look convinced.
Chapter 3 — Wait… We Have to WALK There?!
Saturday morning.
I met Haru at Hankyu Minoh Station.
He was carrying his camera.
I was carrying a backpack.
A very large backpack.
Haru stared at it.
Haru: “Alex.”
“YES?”
“What’s in your bag?”
“EMERGENCY SUPPLIES!”
Haru: “For a walk?”
“WATER! SNACKS! A TOWEL! EXTRA SOCKS!”
Haru nodded.
Haru: “Okay. That’s not too bad.”
“AND THREE CHOCOLATE BARS!”
Haru: “Of course.”
“AND A MINI FIRST-AID KIT!”
Haru: “You really prepared.”
I grinned proudly.
“PROFESSIONAL LEAF HUNTER!”
Haru shook his head.
Haru: 「……まだその設定続いてたんや。」
(…You’re still going with that idea?)
We started walking along the path toward the waterfall.
At first, everything was wonderful.
The river flowed beside us.
The mountains were covered in autumn colors.
Red leaves hung above the path.
Yellow leaves covered the ground.
Families stopped to take photographs.
A cool breeze carried the sound of moving water through the trees.
“THIS IS AMAZING!”
Haru: “Nice, isn’t it?”
“IT’S LIKE WALKING THROUGH A PAINTING!”
Haru lifted his camera.
Click.
I lifted my phone.
Click.
We walked farther.
And farther.
And farther.
After a while, I looked at Haru.
“HEY…”
Haru: “Yeah?”
“HOW MUCH LONGER?”
Haru: “We’re getting there.”
I nodded.
“GOOD!”
Five minutes later…
“HARU?”
Haru: “What?”
“HOW MUCH LONGER NOW?”
Haru looked at me.
Haru: 「……さっき聞いたとこやん。」
(…You literally just asked me that.)
I sighed.
“MY LEGS HAVE QUESTIONS!”
Haru laughed.
Haru: “The waterfall is about 2.7 kilometers from the station.”
I stopped.
“TWO POINT SEVEN KILOMETERS?!”
Haru: “Yeah.”
“YOU SAID WE WERE GOING TO LOOK AT LEAVES!”
Haru: “We are.”
“YOU DIDN’T SAY WE WERE GOING TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN!”
Haru: “We’re walking on a paved path.”
I looked at the slope ahead.
“IT’S STILL GOING UP!”
Haru smiled.
Haru: 「……山やからな。」
(…Well, we are in the mountains.)
I put my hands on my knees.
“EMERGENCY!”
Haru stopped.
Haru: “What happened?”
“MY LEGS ARE OUT OF BATTERY!”
Haru burst out laughing.
Haru: 「……充電できへんで。」
(…You can’t recharge them.)
“THEN I NEED CHOCOLATE!”
We stopped for a short break.
As I reached into my backpack, something red floated through the air.
A maple leaf.
It spun slowly.
Once.
Twice.
Then landed beside my shoe.
I forgot about the chocolate.
I bent down and looked at it.
Its shape was delicate.
Its color was a beautiful, deep red.
“Wow…”
Haru stood beside me.
Haru: “Pretty, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
The river kept flowing.
The trees moved gently in the wind.
And red leaves drifted down around us.
I smiled.
“HEY, HARU.”
Haru: “What?”
“I THINK I’M STARTING TO UNDERSTAND MOMIJIGARI.”
Haru grinned.
Haru: “Already?”
I stood up.
“YEAH!”
I looked toward the trail.
“BUT I STILL WANT TO SEE THAT WATERFALL!”
Haru lifted his camera.
Haru: 「……ほな、もうちょっと頑張ろか。」
(…Then let’s keep going a little longer.)
We started walking again.
This time, I complained slightly less.
Only slightly.
Chapter 4 — The River Is Turning RED?!
The sound came first.
A distant roar.
Then a louder one.
Water.
Lots of water.
I stopped walking.
“HARU!”
Haru: “What?”
“DO YOU HEAR THAT?!”
He smiled.
Haru: “We’re almost there.”
I hurried around the bend.
And suddenly—
There it was.
Minoh Falls.
A magnificent waterfall pouring down the rocks.
Surrounded by mountains.
Surrounded by trees.
Surrounded by brilliant autumn colors.
I froze.
“WHOA…”
Haru stopped beside me.
Haru: “That’s Minoh Falls.”
I stared at the water.
“IT’S HUGE!”
Haru: “About thirty-three meters high.”
“THIRTY-THREE?!”
I looked up.
“And we walked all this way to see it?”
Haru nodded.
Haru: “Yep.”
I stared at the waterfall again.
“…WORTH IT.”
Haru laughed.
Haru: 「……さっきまで文句言うてたくせに。」
(…Even though you were complaining the whole way here.)
We moved to a safe viewing area.
The waterfall roared.
Cool mist drifted through the air.
And above the stream, the maple trees glowed red and orange.
Haru raised his camera.
Click.
I took out my phone.
Click.
Then I noticed something.
Downstream, fallen red leaves were floating on the surface.
Nearby, in a calmer patch of water, the autumn trees reflected in the river.
The colors rippled as the water moved.
I gasped.
“HARU!”
Haru: “What now?”
“THE RIVER!”
Haru: “What about it?”
“IT’S TURNING RED!”
Haru looked where I was pointing.
Then smiled.
Haru: “It’s the reflection of the trees. And those are fallen maple leaves floating downstream.”
I stared.
The water itself was clear.
But the reflection of the red leaves made parts of the surface look as though autumn had spilled into the river.
“SO…”
Haru: “Yeah?”
“THE MOUNTAIN IS PAINTING THE WATER?!”
Haru looked surprised.
Then he smiled.
Haru: 「……それ、ええ表現やな。」
(…That’s actually a beautiful way to put it.)
I looked proudly at him.
“THANK YOU!”
A gust of wind moved through the forest.
Several maple leaves broke free from the branches.
They floated down through the cool air.
I watched them settle near the stream.
It was beautiful.
Not loud.
Not exciting in the way a roller coaster is exciting.
Just beautiful.
We found a bench and sat down.
For a while, we didn’t speak.
I listened to the waterfall.
I watched the leaves.
And I finally understood why people would travel just to enjoy the changing colors of the trees.
“Haru?”
Haru: “Yeah?”
“THANKS FOR BRINGING ME.”
Haru looked a little surprised.
Then smiled.
Haru: 「……来てよかったやろ？」
(…You’re glad you came, aren’t you?)
I nodded.
“YEAH.”
Then I remembered something important.
“HEY…”
Haru: “What?”
“WE HAVE TO WALK BACK, RIGHT?”
Haru nodded.
Haru: “Of course.”
I stared at him.
Then at the path.
Then at my tired legs.
“NOOOOO!”
Haru burst out laughing.
Haru: 「……感動、終わるの早いな！」
(…That beautiful moment ended pretty quickly!)
Chapter 5 — YOU CAN EAT MAPLE LEAVES?!
By the time we were heading back toward the station, my stomach was growling.
Loudly.
“HARU…”
Haru: “What?”
“MY STOMACH IS MAKING A STRANGE NOISE.”
Haru: “You’re hungry.”
“EXTREMELY HUNGRY!”
Haru checked the time.
Haru: “Good timing. There’s something I want you to try.”
I stopped.
“TAKOYAKI?!”
Haru: “No.”
“RAMEN?!”
Haru: “No.”
“FRIED CHICKEN?!”
Haru smiled.
Haru: “Momiji tempura.”
I blinked.
“WHAT?”
Haru: “Momiji tempura.”
I thought about the word.
Momiji.
Maple leaves.
Tempura.
Fried food.
My eyes widened.
“WAIT.”
Haru: “What?”
“MAPLE LEAF TEMPURA?!”
Haru nodded.
Haru: “Yeah.”
I stared at him.
“YOU FRY LEAVES?!”
Haru: “Specially prepared ones.”
I looked at a maple tree beside the trail.
Then back at Haru.
“SO CAN I JUST PICK ONE AND EAT IT?!”
Haru immediately shook his head.
Haru: 「……その辺の葉っぱ食べたらあかんで！」
(…Don’t eat random leaves off the ground!)
“THEN HOW DOES IT WORK?!”
Haru explained that Minoh’s traditional snack uses edible maple leaves that are carefully selected and prepared.
The leaves are preserved, then coated in a sweet batter and deep-fried until crispy.
I stared at him.
“SO IT’S A DESSERT?!”
Haru: “More like a traditional sweet snack.”
I looked toward a nearby shop.
Golden-brown snacks shaped like maple leaves were arranged in packages.
They looked amazing.
And slightly suspicious.
Haru bought a small bag.
Then handed me one.
Haru: “Here. Try it.”
I held it carefully.
It had the shape of a maple leaf.
But it looked like a crispy cookie.
“ARE YOU SURE THIS IS FOOD?”
Haru laughed.
Haru: “Yes.”
“WHAT IF I TURN INTO A TREE?”
Haru stared at me.
Haru: 「……何で木になるねん。」
(…Why would you turn into a tree?)
I took a breath.
Then a bite.
CRUNCH!
I froze.
The batter was crispy.
It was lightly sweet.
There was a warm, toasted flavor.
I chewed.
Then looked at Haru.
“WAIT…”
Haru: “What?”
“THIS IS…”
Haru smiled.
Haru: “Yeah?”
“DELICIOUS!”
Haru laughed.
Haru: “Told you!”
I took another bite.
Crunch!
“WOW!”
Then another.
Crunch!
“HARU!”
Haru: “What now?”
“I LOVE EATING LEAVES!”
Haru shook his head.
Haru: 「……その言い方やめてくれへん？」
(…Could you please stop putting it that way?)
I looked inside the bag.
There were only a few pieces left.
“WE NEED MORE!”
Haru: “You were scared to try it thirty seconds ago.”
“I HAVE GROWN AS A PERSON!”
Haru started laughing again.
I looked toward the red forest.
Then at the golden snack in my hand.
“THIS IS AMAZING!”
Haru: “What is?”
“FIRST WE LOOK AT THE LEAVES…”
Haru: “Yeah?”
“THEN WE WALK UNDER THE LEAVES…”
Haru: “Right?”
“AND FINALLY…”
I raised the snack.
“WE EAT THE LEAVES!”
Haru sighed.
Haru: 「……今日の思い出、それでええんか？」
(…Is that really how you want to remember today?)
I grinned.
“BEST. AUTUMN. EVER!”
Chapter 6 — A Different Color, A New Adventure
It was almost evening when we returned to Minoh Station.
The mountains behind us glowed softly in the late-afternoon light.
My legs were tired.
My backpack felt heavier than ever.
And my bag of momiji tempura was almost empty.
Haru looked at me.
Haru: “So, Alex?”
“YEAH?”
“How was your first momijigari?”
I thought for a moment.
Then raised one finger.
“FIRST, YOU TOLD ME WE WERE GOING HUNTING!”
Haru: “Leaf viewing.”
“THEN YOU MADE ME WALK THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS!”
Haru: “On a walking trail.”
“THEN YOU SHOWED ME A GIANT WATERFALL!”
Haru: “That part’s true.”
“AND THEN…”
I held up the snack bag.
“YOU MADE ME EAT A LEAF!”
Haru laughed.
Haru: 「……なんか、ひどい一日みたいに聞こえるな。」
(…You make it sound like a terrible day.)
I smiled.
“IT WAS AMAZING.”
Haru looked at me.
“Really?”
I nodded.
“Really.”
For a moment, we stood quietly.
Then I took out my phone and looked through the photos.
The red trees.
The yellow leaves.
The winding river.
The waterfall.
And Haru smiling beneath a maple tree.
I stopped at that picture.
“HEY, HARU.”
Haru: “What?”
“YOU LOOK HAPPY HERE.”
Haru leaned over to see.
Haru: “I was having fun.”
I smiled.
“ME TOO.”
Then I remembered something.
“WAIT.”
Haru sighed.
Haru: “What now?”
“WHAT ABOUT THE GREEN MAPLES?!”
Haru: “Ao-momiji?”
“YES!”
Haru smiled.
Haru: “What about them?”
“YOU SAID THE SAME TREES LOOK DIFFERENT IN SPRING AND SUMMER!”
Haru: “They do.”
I looked back at the mountains.
“So if we came here again…”
Haru: “Yeah?”
“THE WHOLE PLACE WOULD LOOK DIFFERENT?!”
Haru nodded.
Haru: “Green instead of red and gold.”
I stared at the mountains.
It was hard to imagine.
The same waterfall.
The same river.
The same walking path.
But surrounded by bright green leaves.
“THAT’S SO COOL!”
Haru smiled.
Haru: 「……次は青もみじの季節に来よか。」
(…Let’s come back during green-maple season.)
I grinned.
“DEAL!”
Then I looked down at my legs.
“BUT NEXT TIME…”
Haru: “What?”
“WE NEED TO TRAIN FIRST.”
Haru laughed.
Haru: 「……それまでに体力つけときや。」
(…Build up some stamina before then.)
We headed toward the station entrance.
I looked back one last time.
Today, I hadn’t caught a single leaf.
I hadn’t won a competition.
I hadn’t even brought home a special trophy.
But I’d seen something beautiful.
And I’d shared it with a friend.
Maybe that was what momijigari was really about.
Not hunting for leaves.
But finding moments worth remembering.
I smiled.
“HEY, HARU!”
Haru: “What?”
“DO JAPANESE PEOPLE GO FLOWER HUNTING TOO?!”
Haru stopped.
Then slowly turned toward me.
Haru: 「……花見っていう文化もあるで。」
(…There’s also a tradition called hanami, or flower viewing.)
I froze.
“FLOWER VIEWING?!”
Haru nodded.
Haru: “Cherry blossoms in spring.”
My eyes widened.
“ANOTHER SEASONAL ADVENTURE?!”
Haru smiled.
Haru: 「……楽しみにしとき。」
(…You can look forward to that.)
I grinned.
Japan had surprised me with school rules, festivals, strange math classes, and now edible maple leaves.
What could possibly be next?
Actually…
I couldn’t wait to find out.
To be continued in Alex in Japan.
Alex’s Discovery — What Is Momijigari?
1. What Does Momijigari Mean?
Momijigari (紅葉狩り) is the Japanese tradition of going out to appreciate beautiful autumn leaves.
Although the word contains gari, meaning “hunting,” people generally enjoy looking at the colorful foliage rather than collecting it.
Popular destinations include parks, forests, gardens, temples, and mountains.
2. What’s the Difference Between Ao-momiji and Autumn Momiji?
Ao-momiji (青もみじ) refers to the fresh green foliage of maple trees, especially admired in spring and early summer.
In autumn, many maple trees turn yellow, orange, or red.
The green and red foliage can come from the same tree at different times of year.
3. Where Can You Enjoy Autumn Leaves Near Osaka and Kyoto?
Hōnen-in Temple, Kyoto
A peaceful temple near the Philosopher’s Path, known for its traditional thatched entrance gate and seasonal scenery.
Eikandō Temple, Kyoto
A famous destination for colorful maple trees, ponds, traditional architecture, and autumn scenery.
Katsuo-ji Temple, Osaka
A mountain temple in Minoh known for its daruma dolls and autumn leaves.
Minoh Falls, Osaka
A scenic waterfall surrounded by forest, reached by following a riverside walking path.
4. What Is Minoh Falls?
Minoh Falls is approximately 33 meters high.
The main walking path from Hankyu Minoh Station to the waterfall is about 2.7 kilometers long and usually takes around 40–50 minutes each way.
The route is a popular destination for enjoying autumn scenery.
5. Does the Water Really Turn Red?
No.
During autumn, colorful leaves reflected on the surface of the water and fallen leaves floating downstream can make parts of the river appear red or orange.
The water itself doesn’t change color because of the leaves.
6. Can You Really Eat Maple Leaves?
Yes — in the form of a specially prepared traditional snack!
Momiji tempura (もみじの天ぷら) is associated with Minoh, Osaka.
Edible maple leaves are carefully selected, preserved, coated in sweet batter, and fried until crispy.
Visitors should never attempt to eat random maple leaves from trees or the ground.
Japanese Words to Remember
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 紅葉狩り (Momijigari) | Autumn leaf viewing |
| 紅葉 (Kōyō) | Autumn foliage |
| もみじ (Momiji) | Maple leaves |
| 青もみじ (Ao-momiji) | Fresh green maple leaves |
| 箕面大滝 (Minoh Ōtaki) | Minoh Falls |
| 滝道 (Takimichi) | Waterfall walking trail |
| もみじの天ぷら (Momiji no tempura) | Fried maple-leaf snack |
| 法然院 (Hōnen-in) | A temple in Kyoto |
| 勝尾寺 (Katsuo-ji) | A temple in Minoh |
| 花見 (Hanami) | Flower viewing |
Planning an Autumn Trip to Osaka or Kyoto?
Want to visit the places mentioned in Alex and Haru’s adventure?
Explore our detailed guide to six beautiful autumn destinations, including admission fees, reservation information, access, maps, nighttime illuminations, and local souvenirs.
Read the full travel guide:
About Alex in Japan
Alex in Japan is an original illustrated fiction series about Alex, a 16-year-old American student discovering everyday Japanese culture in Osaka alongside his classmate and friend Haru.
Each episode explores Japanese traditions, school life, local destinations, and unexpected cultural surprises through their friendship.
Explore more adventures:
Alex in Japan — Official Story Archive
Alex in Japan — Episode 07: The End
Sometimes the best adventures aren’t about finding something new. They’re about seeing something familiar in a different light.
Two cultures. One unforgettable friendship. A new discovery every day.
