It is fall in Japan, and what a beautiful season it is.

I must say, we feel a bit spoiled by the nice weather. While Iowa is having one of its coldest Octobers on record, I am still going out in the afternoon without a coat, and some of my students are still wearing shorts.

Something else I love is a fall flowering bush called kinmokusei. Its blossoms smell lovely. It reminds me of the "Hawaiian Breeze" scent of Glade air freshener - that's my favorite.

Last Sunday, we attended the Annual Yatsugatake County Fair Paul Rusch Festival.

Paul Rusch, a Kentucky native, was a Christian missionary that came to Japan in 1925. He left Japan to fight for the U.S. Army in World War II but came back after the war and settled in the city of Kiyosato.

When he found that the people of Kiyosato were eating potatoes and grains (they couldn't grow rice due to the high elevation), Rusch imported Jersey dairy cows from the United States and taught them dairy farming techniques. Now the region is renowned for its excellent dairy products, and Rusch has become a legend.

The fair had food stands and stands for arts and crafts. Most people brought picnic blankets and claimed an area in front of one of two stages. We especially enjoyed the blueberry ice cream, whole milk (non-pasteurized I'm sure) and ribs. It was a fun day. The weather was beautiful, and the fall hues of the trees looked picturesque against the backdrop of the tall mountains. We came home exhausted and Jonathan's souvenir was a rosy sunburn on his face and legs.

Halloween is coming soon. Last year, after Halloween Jonathan and I raided Hy-Vee buying Halloween items on sale with the thought, "We will bring Halloween to Japan!"

But once we got here we quickly discovered that Halloween is already celebrated in this country and all the Halloween items that we carefully packed in our suitcases can be purchased in any local store in Minami Alps.

Now we are working on our costumes for a Halloween party. I am going to be a maneki neko. You may have seen one at an Asian establishment - it's the ceramic cat with a raised paw. It's meant to bring good luck in wealth. Jonathan has spent hours on an elaborate shrimp sushi costume. His shrimp head is amazing. Sayonara!

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Emily and Jonathan Whalley report every other Thursday in the Times-Republican on their experiences while in Japan throughout the year. Emily is participating in the Marshalltown - Minami Alps, Japan teacher exchange for the year. The views expressed in this column are personal views of the writers and don't necessarily reflect the views of the T-R.