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Viewing the peak fall colors in Japan can be bit tricky as it's not always possible for a free day, good weather, and peak fall foliage to all line up on the same day. This was my frustration this fall—trying to find a day when it all came together. Finally, in late November, I jumped out of bed thinking, "Today is the day!" and off I went. As I sat on the train to Kyoto, I suddenly decided to change my destination. Over-tourism has become a significant problem in Kyoto in recent years, and it was highly likely that my original destination would be overcrowded. Instead, I chose to visit Bishamondo, a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Kyoto. It was my first visit, and I managed to get lost both on the way to the temple and on my return – not all that surprising since I hadn't prepared at all! (I don't have a cellphone so I usually prepare maps and such before my outings.) However, the temple grounds were stunning with the beautiful fall foliage at its peak. There were only a few visitors, most of whom were couples having wedding photos taken or participating in professional photo shoots. I spent a peaceful morning meandering the temple grounds, enjoying the foliage, and watching the various couples. I'm so glad I changed my mind! Bishamondo: www.discoverkyoto.com/places-go/bishamondo/  View of the main temple. (That's not a person on the other side of the fence. It's a stone monument of some sort.)  The trees along the walkway in all their fall glory!  The brilliant red fall foliage!  This couple was on a professional photo shoot. The photographer was quite entertaining! He was very vocal about what he wanted and he let everyone know how proud he was of himself when he got the image he wanted. Quite a few of us watching were chuckling the whole time.  The spectacular fall colours were everywhere!
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This fall has been spectacular! We've had weeks of gorgeous weather and the fall foliage has been stunning. Since Kyoto has been completely overrun with tourists this year, we've been trying to find places to visit that are less crowded. One of our favorite places is Yamada Ike Park, about a 30-minute drive from here. These photos were taken on November 9th, 2022. P.S. Have I been taking lots of photos? Oh, my goodness! YES! Have I been doing anything with the photos beyond that? Um... No. No, I haven't. Life has been very full – which is a good thing – but I've had very little time to work with my photos. However, now that the weather is cooling and being outside isn't as inviting, I'm hoping that will change.  Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan (We often eat our lunch on this bench.)  Yamada Ike Park, Hirakata, Japan (The building in the distance is the same one as in the previous photo.) The days are getting shorter and colder and it is clear that autumn is coming to an end. Trees are shedding their leaves and the bright colours of the past month are becoming more and more difficult to find. I always have regrets this time of year, wishing that I had gone out more to enjoy the fall colours. But, it can't be helped, really. I don't think one ever goes out enough when enjoying nature is involved! These photos were taken at a local park last week. Ah, those colours!   Next to my workplace is a lovely park with a pond and a small court where the locals play tennis or do outdoor exercises. I rarely have the chance to visit it but I always look at it wistfully through the bus window as we pass by. Today, as I left to return home, the sun was golden and so I decided that today was the day! Surely I could find 20 minutes in my schedule to go and enjoy the park. And so I did. This was what was waiting for me... (If you look carefully, you can see someone walking along the path. Hope that gives you some sense of scale.) (I didn't have my camera with me so took a chance with my mini iPad. Pretty happy with the results.)  On a cold, windy morning this week we visited a local park to enjoy the fall colours. There are various paths throughout the park but the route we took was called "Maple Valley". It did not disappoint! As we walked along we enjoyed comparing the varying stages of the maple trees. Several had already lost all of their leaves while a few others were only just starting to change. However, the majority were in glorious yellows and reds. Ah, so beautiful in the morning sun! (Both of these were taken in "Maple Valley". )   |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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