For the final part of our photography series highlighting the unfolding of autumn across FT Globetrotter cities, we commissioned photographer Sybilla Patrizia to capture the height of the season in Tokyo, which is due to hit its peak over the next few days. With an introduction by Leo Lewis
Autumn leaves, in all their deciduous delicacy, are in a small, exquisite circle of phenomena with which Japan loves to define its national relationship with nature and time.
Their cultural credentials, glorified in everything from ukiyo-e prints and kimono obi (sashes) to the anime Your Name and the Ghost of Tsushima video game, are impeccable. While it is hardly an exclusive club, being something that the poet Basho has used as the centrepiece of an impossibly beautiful haiku immediately puts you near the heart of the Japanese national soul.