“Otsukimi”, Moon Viewing, also known as “jugoya”, the fifteenth night, is a time to admire the beautiful moon floating in the fall sky.
Enjoying the full moon in the fall when summer has ended and the weather has gotten cooler is a Japanese seasonal tradition.
“Otsukimi” means “Moon Viewing”, and is also known as “the fifteenth night”, because it is held during the full moon around September 15th, and on this day it is customary in Japan to decorate the house with pampas grass and eat dumplings called Tsukimi Dango while enjoying the spectacle of the full moon.
Otsukimi also is meant to thank the moon for a bountiful harvest. In Japan, fall is both the harvest season and the time when the the moon is at its most beautiful, making it the perfect season to thank the moon for this year’s harvest.
If you visit Japan during this season, I hope you will enjoy moon viewing just as much as if you were Japanese. The preparations couldn’t be simpler; just look up at the full moon at night.
If you want to be a bit more Japanese in your moon viewing enjoyment, it is recommended you buy a dango that looks like the moon to accompany you for your viewing. Tsukimi dumplings are sold at both supermarkets and convenience stores in this season, and you can get in the mood for moon viewing for just a few hundred yen.
By the way… In japan, many cute products related to moon viewing are also sold, and buying a souvenir related to moon viewing, a symbol of Japanese customs, is also recommended.
When you travel in Japan on a fall night, I hope you will spend some time slowly gazing up at the moon and feeling relaxed.