床の間 tokonoma

床の間に飾られた、桔梗とヤマモミジです。

A bellflower and a maple are displayed in 'tokonoma.'
A 'tokonoma' is an alcove built into a wall of a traditional Japanese room where the art or flower is displayed.

イロハモミジ Japanese maple

紅葉（もみじ）の紅葉（こうよう）が始まりました。

The leaves of Japanese maples just begun to autumn color.

イイギリ Idesia polycarpa Maxim

イイギリは雌雄異株なので、赤い実のなったこの木は雌株ですね。赤くて目立つ実を付けるその目的は、鳥類に存在を示し摂食してもらい、種子分散を図ることです。私は、自然の仕組みにはいつも平伏します。

"Idesia polycarpa Maxim" is a dioecism. So this tree bearing red fruits is female. The purpose of producing red and prominent fruits is to spread seeds by feeding birds. I always adore to the mechanism of nature.

赤い実 red fruits

葉が落ちて、ただでさえ目立つ赤い実がひときわ目を引きます。

A red fruit is always standing out. These red fruits took my eye even more, because the leaves had fallen.

ハナミズキ dogwood

ナンキンハゼ Chinese tallow tree

ナンキンハゼの紅葉が始まりました。見頃はもう少し先です。

The autumn leaves of Chinese tallow tree have begun. The best time is a little later.

カツラ(桂) Cercidiphyllum japonicum

風が吹くと、2枚,3枚と黄色く紅葉した小さな丸い葉が落ちてきます。その葉の醤油のこげるような、よい香りがあたりにだたよいます。

When the breeze blows, the small round leaves which have turned yellow fall little by little. There is a fragrance in the air, because the leaves have an aroma like burned soy sauce.

お食い初め first meal

お食い初め。海外の人には、なんのことだか分からないでしょうね。

One of the traditional Japanese ceremonies for celebrating babies around 100-day-old  is “first meal."
Elders pretend to have their baby eat rice, soup, boiled food, and grilled fish. And we hope that the baby won't have trouble with food for a lifetime.

The interesting thing is that an elder touches a small stone taken from the ground of a shrine with chopsticks, and then touch the chopsticks to the baby's gums. Because we hope to strengthen the baby teeth.
This stone is called "the stone that hardens teeth".