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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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After living here for years, I finally visited Shugakuin Imperial Villa in northeastern Kyoto. Last year, friends from Singapore went on a tour of the villa and loved it, but they were surprised that we had never made a visit. We had heard about it, of course, and had walked along the perimeter many times with a friend who lives in the area. However, since you need to apply to visit, it just never happened. Our friends' enthusiasm finally prompted us to make the trip and so on a very cold, windy day in mid-November, off we went. Despite the chilly weather, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit! The gardens were spectacular, and the views were breathtaking. We could even see Harukas, located in southern Osaka, in the far distance! Shugakuin Imperial Villa is known as a "detached palace," which translates to "imperial villa." It covers 133 acres and includes three separate gardens that are considered cultural treasures. There are no large buildings; most of the structures are teahouses. The villa is managed by the Imperial Household Agency, and an application is required to participate in the 90-minute tour. For more information, visit the official webpage: https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/shugakuin.html (The video on the webpage is the one that visitors watch while they wait for the tour to begin.)  The view from the beginning of the tour. Those are sheaves of rice drying rice in the field, and you can see Kyoto in the distance.  View from the Upper Villa looking out over the hills of Kyoto Prefecture. Apparently, this view has not changed in 400 years.  Boat house, pond and garden, Upper Villa  Garden, pond and teahouse, Upper Villa (The photo of the view from the Upper Villa was taken from the teahouse on the far left.)  Fall foliage, Upper Villa Last Saturday, I joined a group of friends and walked along the Philosopher's Path in eastern Kyoto. I was a bit hesitant, to be honest. The day was cloudy, the trees were not at their best, and weekends in Kyoto are usually a zoo of people. However, off we went... To my surprise, it was a lovely walk! There weren't many people about, so we leisurely wandered along the path, enjoying the stream and the various shops and sights along the way. On our way back, we took a detour which led to my first visit to Honen-in Temple, a Buddhist temple tucked away east of the path. If you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit! Honen-in Temple (Discover Kyoto)  The thatched gate at Hoen-in, Kyoto  Camellia blossoms and stone basin, Honen-in, Kyoto Are you familiar with Hirano Shrine in northwest Kyoto? I've been going there for years since we use Hirano Shrine's parking lot whenever we go to the monthly temple sale at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, right next door. I've always enjoyed Hirano Shrine because of its early blooming plum trees and the lovely park connected to it full of irises, or spider lilies, depending on the time of year. What I did not know until today is that it's one of the top spots for cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto! The season isn't far away! I recommend a visit! These photos were taken on January 25th at Hirano Shrine. Ah, such a beautiful day! And the temple sale next door did not disappoint! For more information about the Cherry Blossom Festival at Hirano Shrine: https://en.japantravel.com/kyoto/cherry-blossom-festival-at-hirano-shrine/66567  Hirano Shrine, Kyoto  Plum Blossoms  Narcissus More images of the projection mapping event at Heian Jingu in Kyoto that we visited last week. If you'd like to know more, please see the previous post. By the way, the official name of the event is "Naked Yorumoude Heian Jingu". "Naked" is the name of the production company, and "yorumode" is a combination of the words "yoru (evening)" and "moude (pilgrimage)".  Waiting for the gates to open...  Oh, the colours!  Fortunes folded and tied to the ropes provided.  If you look carefully, you can see an egret out in the pond. It was there the whole evening and seemed completely oblivious to all the activity.  The bridge crossing the pond in the garden.  At the end of the bridge...  Looking back at the bridge before exiting... |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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