Which spot for autumn colors?

I'm planning to do a day trip vom Osaka to Kyoto on Friday, Nov 15th. My main interest is to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine. After having already been there for a short visit in 2014, I'd like to do a hike uphill to the summit this time.

But there might also be some opportunities to see autumn colours in mid November in or around Kyoto.

So my plan is to go to Tofukuji Temple in the morning before heading to Fushimi Inari. Is it recommendable to go there at this time of year? I've read about people standing in line at the gate from about 7.30am on weekends, so is it also such overcrowded on Fridays?

After Fushimi Inari, I might go to Daigoji Temple. I like the pictures of the bentendo hall behind the pond, surrounded by red leafs, but is that a spot worth doing a detour?

Or should I better go to Yoshiminedera Temple on my way back to Osaka instead? I know I need to take the Hankyu bus from Mukomachi station and I know that the last bus leaves Yoshiminedera at 3.24pm.

So is Tofukuji Temple recommendable? And should I go to Daigoji or to Yoshiminedera? Or is there another autumn colour spot that could fit? I don't to take a detour to northern Kyoto or to other places far away from town center or from my travel route to Osaka.

Of course I know that there might be no autumn colours at all. In this case, I'd change my plans.

Thank you for your help!

Arashiyama in Kyoto is magnificent

Agreed. Tofukuji is also lovely but possibly crowded (as Fushimi Inari tends to be these days). Personally I would go to Nara and maybe stop off at Uji along the way.

Thank you for your advice. I' ve been to Arashiyama and Nara in March / April some years ago, so I' d like to see one or two spots where I haven' t been before. Uji is already on my list in case of autumn colors are late this year. In this case I would skip autumn color viewing and go to Uji after the Fushimi Inari hike.

I was at Uji in very late November a few years back and there was still quite a bit of colour about

Hello Bullet Train,

I would highly recommend Arashiyama, which is located on the north-western side of Kyoto. They have a bamboo forest and a monkey park. I was recently there in March 2019, but I'm sure there will be fantastic autumn colours. I don't know what hotel you are staying at, but regardless, take the Tozai Line to Uzumasa-Tenjingawa on the western end, and change onto this (so cute!) tram called the Randen. Take it north to the end of the line, which is Arashiyama. The station opens up onto the main street, and you can walk from there to wherever you want. If you are a fan of Miffy, there is a special bakery on the main street that I would recommend.

Your purrrrsonal travel guide, SakuraShinkansen

I' m not so familiar with koyo, but should I expect to see autumn colors in Uji mid November? According to japan-guide the average peak in Uji is in late November.

Thank you Sakurashinkansen, but I'm not sure that I should expect autumn colors in Arashiyama in mid Nov, so I don't plan to go there again.

Hi, I think more likely late November depending on the year. Still worth going though, the early colours are very pretty.

Thank you, so I will take a closer look at the autums color reports as my trip to Kyoto will approach. Maybe Uji is the spot that suits my interests.

I've been flamed for saying this before, but the green tea icecream at Uji is amazingly good. Very strong bitter tea taste contrasting with the sweetness, the nicest soft serve I've had. Which it want to have been, it was only about 8 celsius when I ate it. Dont miss it!