Let’s search for Mercury, using the Moon as a guide.

Mercury becomes easy to find in the eastern sky before sunrise.

Mercury is a planet whose altitude is usually low, making it difficult to find. But because Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation on September 29, from September 26 to October 2 its altitude as seen from Tokyo exceeds 10 degrees at 30 minutes before sunrise, making it very easy to observe. Won’t you take this opportunity to find Mercury?

At the end of September, the thin moon can be seen in the eastern sky before sunrise.
In particular, the Moon is located just to the upper right of Mercury on the 29th, making this a splendid chance to find Mercury using the Moon as a guide. From 1 hour to 30 minutes before the Sun rises, when the sky hasn’t gotten very bright yet, try searching near the horizon from a location where nothing blocks the view to the east. If you use binoculars it will be easy to find both the Moon and Mercury for a longer time than is possible with the naked eye. (But take care not to look at the Sun with binoculars.)

On the 30th as well, the Moon is close to Mercury, but their relative positions are reversed; the Moon is located beneath Mercury. The Moon is thinner and its altitude lower, making it harder to find than on the 29th.