Series: Yoko Ueno Lewis | Kurashi Note - Part 2: "The Town of Pumpkin Orange"

The Way We Live with “STYLE”

暮らしノート - Part 2: "A Town of Pumpkin Orange"

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco brings you to Marin County, known for its vacation homes and affluent residential areas. Many private yacht harbors dot the coastline, and the beautiful townscapes continue, nestled between a quiet shore and redwood forests. A little inland from here lies a small mountain town called Mill Valley.

Photos and text by Yoko Ueno Lewis (Oct. 2010)

Pumpkins with vivid stripes, like painted brushstrokes, herald autumn.

Mill Valley is home to many poets, writers, artists, and retired intellectuals, lending it a unique atmosphere. The town, where sunlight filters through the towering redwoods that pierce the clear blue sky, was fully embracing autumn, adorned in the pumpkin orange of Halloween.

A street shaded by redwoods

During this season, dry, clear weather known as Indian summer prevails, with daytime temperatures reaching nearly 30 degrees Celsius. However, the humidity is very low, and the air is filled with the strong, low-angled light characteristic of autumn, creating a captivating season where the contrast of dappled sunlight intensifies. After Halloween on October 31st, Daylight Saving Time ends, and setting the clocks back an hour makes the evenings feel noticeably darker. Pumpkins with vivid stripes, like painted brushstrokes… illuminated by the autumn sun, they subtly signal the deepening fall and the year's passage into its latter half.

Orange, a color that enriches the spirit before winter's arrival

In America, orange often means pumpkin. In Japan, it's the color of persimmons or the Japanese bitter gourd. Both are symbolic colors that vividly evoke the mood of late autumn. When I was a student, orange and turquoise blue were considered industrial design colors. Orange was a difficult color to incorporate, even in autumn palettes.

Orange, whether in nature or in manufactured goods, makes a strong impression. It invigorates us, shaking off the lethargy of summer's fatigue, allowing us to appreciate the harvest, and enriching our spirits for a time before the coming winter. I believe this industrial orange of the Mill Valley pumpkins would subtly and surrealistically complement the Supermodernism of Tokyo, don't you think? Speaking of surreal, please also see the photographs of Yayoi Kusama's pumpkins on Naoshima.