Autumn Color Report: Kyoto
by Joe, staff writer of japan-guide.com
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2014/11/28 - Autumn Color Report: Kyoto
For my last autumn color report this week from the Kansai Region, I was back in Kyoto today and yesterday exploring some of the old capital's best autumn leaf spots. The colors around most of Kyoto today are definitely still at their peak and will likely still be impressive at least into early next week.
I started my leaf hunt yesterday afternoon at Ryoanji Temple on the west side of Kyoto. Though the temple is most well-known for its famous rock garden, the trees around the temple grounds are stunning in the fall, and today were at the their best color.
After my trip to Ryoanji, I waited eagerly till dusk to make my way over the opposite, east side of the city to check out three of Kyoto's best temples for koyo nighttime illuminations. Several temples and parks across the city open their gardens after sunset to let visitors meander through the grounds to enjoy light-ups of trees and temple buildings. The light-ups can be extremely impressive, but also extremely crowded, so it's a good idea not to arrive at temples too close to opening (when the lines are huge) or closing (to give yourself plenty of time to linger).
The first fall color illumination spot I visited was at Eikando Temple. I waited 30 minutes in a winding line to get my tickets here, but the wait was well worth it. The trees around the garden are still at their peak, and the vast majority are well-lit, with stunning views all around.
My second illumination stop was just five-minute was from Eikando to Nanzenji Temple. The temple's Tenjuan Garden features a lovely illumination that visitors can enjoy while quietly sitting on a tatami straw mat while overlooking the delicate landscape garden.
The last temple I visited at night, which was a 10-minute taxi ride south of Nanzenji, was Kodaiji Temple. The temple is also famed for its rock gardens, and last night the rocks and the grounds were decorated with a peppering of traditional Japanese umbrellas as a part of an art installation this autumn.
After my illuminating night, I resumed my temple hopping in the morning with a visit to of Kyoto's best-loved temples, Kiyomizudera Temple. The colors were definitely at their peak during Raina's visit last week, but the leaves haven't staled too much yet, and were still very impressive today (even despite the construction work that many of the temple buildings are currently undergoing).
Tofukuji Temple in the south part of the city was my next destination for the day, as well as a huge throng of leaf-watchers. The colors here have definitely declined since last week, but were still quite lovely, with fallen leaves starting to build up under the momiji (Japanese maple) trees around the grounds. The colors should still be nice over the weekend and early next week, but expect crowds at this hugely popular spot.
My final stop of the day was further outside the city at Daigoji Temple, where, like at Tofukuji, the colors were definitely beginning to fade. The approach to the temple is almost bare at this point, but the lovely Bentendo in the back of the temple grounds was still holding on to a nice palette of reds and yellows, and made for a pleasant ending for my time here in Kansai.
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