Life in Inakadate・田舎館での暮らし

It wouldn't be right to get through this season without a mention of the fall colors. My wife and I went for a drive over a month ago and saw lots of leaves just starting to change color at the top of Mt. Hakkoda. Since then we have been on several other trips and have noticed the color of the leaves gradually coming down the hills into
the flat land.
この秋、田舎館の紅葉を課題にしないことはできないと思います。一ヶ月以上前に家内と２人でドライブに行って、八甲田の頂上あたりで少し赤くなっている木を何本かを見ました。それ以降、その辺まで何回か出かけていったら、その紅葉が徐々に山を下ってきたのを見ました。

I think probably you could say that the peak was early last week in Inakadate. There are beautiful trees here and there, but one thing I can honestly say, however, fruit trees are justifiably not well known for their beautiful fall colors. Rather, the leaves of the apple trees and other fruit trees seem to just fall off rather than change color. (It also might seem that way because a lot of the apple leaves were stripped off in the last month or so to help the fruit ripen.)
先週あたりは、田舎館村の紅葉のピークだったような気がします。あっちこっちにはきれいな葉っぱがありましたが、実際問題として、果樹というのはあまりきれいな紅葉にはなりません。多分、りんごをきれいに熟させるように、もうすでに葉が取られていたからかも知れませんが、りんごなどの果樹の葉っぱは色を変えずにただ落ちてしまう感じです。

But there are some beautiful fall colors to be seen in Inakadate and surrounding Aomori. Aomori, with famous sites like Shirakami Mountains, the Shimokita Penninsula and Mt. Hakkoda, is filled with nature and the fall colors are really spectacular. In Inakadate, the nature may not be that big, but in the many gardens surrounding people's homes, too you can see some intricately crafted colorful leaves and trees. It is really a beautiful season.
しかし、それにもかかわらず、田舎館とこの周辺の青森ではきれいな紅葉をたっぷり見られます。白神山地、下北半島と八甲田山がある青森県には自然がいっぱいで紅葉が大変素晴らしいです。田舎館の自然の規模はそれほど大きくないですが、民家の家を囲んでいる庭には大変きれいに剪定された木々ともみじが見られます。