Anyone who lives in Japan knows that the seasons are a big deal, with »¨ÒŠ (hanami, cherry blossom viewing) and ÔÂÒŠ (tsukimi, moon viewing) among the popular activities that celebrate them. From now until around the middle of December, you¡¯ll be able to take part in autumn¡¯s main event: ¼tÈ~¤òÒŠ¤ËÐФ¯ (°ì¨²â¨ o mi ni iku, going to see the autumn leaves).
The traditional phrase for this occasion is ¼tÈ~á÷¤ê (momijigari), which has the nuance of going into the mountains to see wild autumn leaves. It is created by attaching the verb stem of á÷¤ë (karu, to hunt animals) ¡ª which then becomes the noun á÷¤ê (k/gari, hunting) ¡ª onto the end of ¼tÈ~ (momiji/°ì¨²â¨, autumn leaves). While á÷¤ë also means ¡°to go looking (for flowers)¡± and ¡°to gather (mushrooms/berries),¡± it¡¯s said that ¼tÈ~á÷¤ê originally came into use during the Heian Period (794-1185) as aristocrats who went out to look at the leaves resembled a hunting party.
In any case, á÷¤ê can attach to other words, too, such as ³±¸Éá÷¤ê (shiohi-gari, shell digging) and ¤¤Î¤³á÷¤ê (kinoko-gari, mushroom gathering).
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