Moon-viewing is one of Japan's most refined customs. Autumn is the best season for watching the moon, as this is when it seems to shine most beautifully. Above all, "Chushu-no-Meigetsu," the harvest moon, is regarded as the best full moon.

This elegant custom of drinking liquor, listening to classical music, and writing poems while watching the moon, has been performed devotedly since the T'ang period in China (618 -- 906), and started in Japan in the middle of the Heian Era (794 -- 1192). According to ancient records, the first moon-watching party in Japan was held in the Imperial Court on August 15, 909. At that time, Kyoto was the capital of Japan.

"Chushu-no-Meigetsu" means the full moon on August 15 of the lunar calendar, and the night is called "Jugo-ya," the fifteenth night. According to the solar calendar, that day is Autumnal Equinox Day (around September 23). In this season, autumnal rain fronts often linger over Japan, and thick clouds frequently cover the best moon of the year. The Japanese consequently designated the night of September 13 in the lunar calendar (October in the solar calendar), as "Jusan-ya," the thirteenth night, to improve their chances of seeing the moon.


The moon-viewing party became one of the annual events of the Imperial Court in the Heian Era. Several sites came to be known as good places to see the beautiful moon, and it is reported in the Tale of the Heike that nobles went to relatively far-flung places such as Suma or Akashi in Hyogo Prefecture, or Wakanoura in Wakayama Prefecture, just for the purpose of watching the moon.

In the Edo era, viewing the moon became popular even among the common people. They placed a small wooden stand on a small desk, offered dumplings and the first crops of the season on it, and arranged autumn grasses in a vase as an offering to the moon. It seems that amusements of the nobility were transmitted to the common people and mixed with the harvest festival.

This custom is still observed at present, but the number of families who prepare decorative offerings and wait for the moonrise are decreasing due to urbanization and lifestyle changes. The most famous moon-viewing party would have to be the "Kangetsue" held at Daikakuji Temple in Sagano, Kyoto. Sagano is a distinguished scenic spot in Kyoto, with elegant scenery that reminds us of the imperial days.

At the Daikakuji Kangetsue party, boats are floated on Osawa Pond in the garden and while listening to the music of the Japanese harp, people enjoy viewing the moon shining in the night sky and reflected on the pond.