The Japanese have long described themselves as people who value the solidity of sameness. Anyone who has ever seen "Mito Komon" on TV will know what this means: the same dialogue, the same roles and the same big sword fight exactly 45 minutes into the program, all going on for many decades to general approval. Times change and things happen, but the Japanese will always find solace in unchanging phenomena. And aki (autumn) is one of them.

Autumn is more than a season; it's a favored ceremony in a country obsessed with yoshikibi (the beauty of set patterns) and a chance to become more nihonteki (Japanesey) than usual. Fuyu (winter) has been taken over by Christmas and its trappings, haru (spring) is too hectic and natsu (summer) is just too splashy and suggestive of Club Med vacations.

Aki creates the proper frame of mind for a little patriotism. So the ad agencies, manufacturers and TV networks join up to launch one autumn campaign after another -- and they're usually the same, year after year. This yoshikibi is one thing to be counted on in an uncertain world -- and it's all designed to loosen the purse strings that had been tied tight during the lean summer season.