All the leaves were stained red

Vivid maple leaves in Inokashira Park — Shot at Inokashira Park in Kichijoji, Tokyo

The leaves in Inokashira Park were changing color beautifully. The autumn leaves swaying in the breeze looked like a blazing fire. The shape of the leaves reminded me of the Canadian flag. In the center of the Canadian flag, there is a large sugar maple leaf, which looks like a design of autumn leaves.

The sugar maple is one of Canada's most famous trees, and it symbolizes the harsh life of the pioneer era, when people followed the teachings of the native people and sipped the sap of the maple tree to ward off hunger in winter when there was no food. I had no idea that such a meaning had been put into it.

The Canadian flag, which unexpectedly represents hardship and suffering, reminded me of the fact that most of the Canadians I met when I was traveling in the Middle East had Canadian flags attached to their bags. Since many people in the Middle East consider the U.S. to be an enemy country, they might be met with bad treatment just because they are Americans (although as a Japanese, I don't really know).

For this reason, Canadians wear their national flag on their bags as a landmark to avoid being mistaken for Americans. I don't know how much the Canadian flag is recognized as opposed to the American Stars and Stripes, but I guess it's hard to tell the difference between an American and a Canadian just by looking at them, so it might have some effect.

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