Autumn Leaves ~ Aki no Kaze Fuyu

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One of Japan’s greatest attractions and blessings is its four seasons, especially spring and autumn. Both seasons stunned me with their beauty. I understand now why most of the Japanese haikus seem to be about these two times of the year. In Texas we can only boast two distinct seasons, a hot, humid summer and a cool winter. Spring and autumn, if they do exist in my home State, are just blinks of an eye.
Koyo (autumn leaf viewing) doesn’t have the same fanfare as hanami (flower viewing), but I think that it is equally as enjoyable and visually prepossessing. Trees turn vivid reds, oranges, yellows and even deep magentas and purples. Some of the trees turn into a massive canopy of one bright color or they’ll become a mixture of shades.
One of my goals while residing in Japan was to visit one of the famous koyo spots and get a true autumn experience. I didn’t make it to Nikko, my first choice, but I was able to go to Kyoto, my second pick, during the peak of the season there.
We caught the ever impressive shinkansen to Kyoto and I saw my first glimmers of autumn as we sped through the countryside. Kyoto is stuffed with traditional gardens, temples and other heritage sites. It is impossible to see everything the city has to offer, especially in only two days. Nijo-jo (Nijo Castle) was the first place on our tour. It is still a fascinating place to explore (even if I had been there twice before) and the gardens were stunning with leaves turning various shades. One tree on the castle grounds was a giant canopy of golden sunshine yellow.
After Nijo we grabbed a bus to Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavilion) and strolled around the shining structure. At this point in the day we were famished and stopped for Italian in the city centre on our way to Heian Jingu (shrine). Heian Jingu is a large, clean and simple complex and one of the few imperial shrines in Japan. However, I found their gardens a little sad. It appeared to be more of a spring or summer place to visit. For sunset we moseyed to Kiomizutera, which is famous for the three fountains you can drink from for health, love or wealth. You can only choose to drink from one in your lifetime. There were many stalls and shops on the way and we grabbed some scrumptious dumpling from a vendor on the twisty hike to the temple. Kiyomizutera offers romantic views of the city and the abundance of koyo there was lit up after sunset.

The first stop on the second day was Sanjusangendo, my favorite temple in Japan. It is the longest solid wood building in Japan and contains 1001 statues of the thousand armed kannon as well as 28 statues of guardian deities. It is a stunning and humbling temple that always leaves me with a feeling of awe and reverence. Every statue was intricately carved and, at one point, painted. The careful craftsmanship and attention to detail could cause one to linger endlessly in the hall.
After we departed Sanjusangendo we caught the local train to Arashiyama on the edge of the city, which is famous for koyo. Several of our co-workers met up with us here and we strolled through the city and Tenryū Shiseizen-ji temple complex. Luckily it was a Monday so it wasn’t very crowded and we were able to enjoy the scenery and wander around the temple leisurely. When we were meandering back to the station after our tiring weekend we saw a pair of geisha getting off of a rickshaw. They were both elegantly dressed and graceful looking. However, the younger of the two was caught by our cameras gawking at the hind anatomy of the rickshaw driver. The train back to Kyoto Station was uncomfortably packed. I’ve only been stuffed into a train like a sardine twice in Japan. The first time it was awkward and I laughed. This time it was uncomfortable and a bit painful, but either way I was happy I got to see Arashiyama and in the end we caught the comfy shinkansen back to Shikoku.

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Photos

Obon
The kanji character is lit on fire duing the obon season.