Autumn Color Report 2009
by japan-guide.com

This are the official japan-guide.com autumn color reports for 2009 from our trips to various autumn leaf spots across Japan. Check our page on Autumn Leaves for general information.

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2009/11/18 - Kyoto: Higashiyama


by francois

Today I continued my exploration of the fall colours ("koyo") of Kyoto, this time investigating the leaves in some temples in the eastern part of the city. First off was Kiyomizudera, one of the most popular temples in all of Japan.

Unfortunately, the weather was not very good in the morning, and the koyo is not quite at its peak. There is a significant amount of colour, but it will take a few more days before the trees become really impressive.

Next I headed to Kodaiji Temple, which is just a few minute's walk away. There are not as many trees at this temple as there are at Kiyomizudera, but the ones around the temple's main pond and the Garyoro ("reclining dragon corridor") are nearing their peak and are quite colorful. The maple trees around the temple's two storied tea house are still green, so will become attractive in a few days when they start to change color.

I walked north from Kodaiji and when I got to Maruyama Park I hiked up a mountainside trail to Shogun-zuka, which has a couple of sightseeing platforms that give nice views onto the city below. There was also some of the day's best koyo, with a number of trees covered completely in vibrant red leaves.

Nanzenji Temple is a rather large zen temple complex. The trails between the various temple buildings have a decent amount of koyo, but it should still improve over the next few days. Visitors can get a good view of the surrounding state of the autumn colors by climbing the Sanmon gate (500 yen).

Nanzenji has a number of rock gardens, and they can become quite affected by the autumn colours. Though I visited the Nanzen-in garden and the gardens of the main Nanzen-ji building, the best gardens today were found at the Tenjuan (400 yen) just south of the Sanmon gate. There was a nice rock garden and another garden around a pond, and both had excellent koyo.

My last stop of the day was at Eikando, a temple complex that is a very popular spot for koyo. There were large crowds of eager sightseers looking for autumn colors. The colors did not disappoint, but they were not yet thrilling either. A lot of maple trees still had fully green trees, so I think that after a few days more it will become very impressive. There was also a bit of construction going on, which wasn't enough to be really bothersome but still took a bit from the atmosphere.

Some of the best koyo at the complex was located just outside the entrance, hanging over the temple's walls. When the trees throughout the temple become as vibrant, I suspect the crowds will become even bigger.

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List of Posts:
2009/12/08 - Tokyo
2009/12/02 - Kamakura

2009/11/27 - Tokyo
2009/11/26 - Kyoto
2009/11/25 - Kyoto: Light Up
2009/11/23 - Nara
2009/11/22 - Kyoto: Ohara
2009/11/21 - Kyoto
2009/11/19 - Kyoto: Arashiyama
2009/11/18 - Tokyo
2009/11/18 - Kyoto: Higashiyama
2009/11/16 - Kyoto: Kurama
2009/11/16 - Mount Takao (Takaosan)
2009/11/12 - Kyoto
2009/11/09 - Fuji Five Lakes
2009/11/04 - Hakone

2009/10/28 - Mount Fuji
2009/10/19 - Nikko
2009/10/16 - Onuma Park
2009/10/15 - Noboribetsu Onsen
2009/10/14 - Shikotsu-Toya National Park
2009/10/07 - Hachimantai
2009/10/06 - Mount Akita-Komagatake
2009/10/05 - Nikko

2009/09/30 - Kusatsu Onsen
2009/09/28 - Kamikochi
2009/09/24 - Oze National Park
2009/09/16 - Tokachidake Onsen
2009/09/15 - Ginsendai
2009/09/14 - Mount Asahidake