Today I headed to Kanazawa, a city that has become a popular destination with foreign visitors in the last few years. I visited a couple of the city's most famous attractions; Kenrokuen Garden, one of the three best landscape gardens in Japan, and Kanazawa Castle. I found the autumn colors here to be at their peak but bad weather today and tomorrow may hasten the start of the end of the fall season.

Strong winds, lightning and thunder, rain, hail and sleet hit the city today and is expected to continue till tomorrow. The weather is predicted to ease by tomorrow evening and I don't expect the best viewing period to last till the end of next week. Until December 9, both Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle are illuminated in the evening from 17:30 to 21:00. The garden is free to enter during the illumination (regular admission fees of 310 yen applies from 8:00 to 17:00 in November and December).

Around the Mayumizaka gate
Midori Waterfall and fall colors
Pine trees ready for winter with their yukizuri protection
Colors in the pond
I stood here for a while watching the rain sweep past this scene
Yukizuri for the pine trees to help them survive the heavy snowfall
Sunshine for 10 minutes
Near the Yamazakiyama area
So yellow, much rain, very wet
Maple tree grove
This was the most colorful area in the entire garden
Maple trees in front of the Ishikawa Gate
A bit of color near the Hishi and Tsuzuki turrets and the storehouse
I took cover in the very comfortable Tsurunomaru Resthouse in the castle park while it rained and hailed outside
Colors from near the Sanjukken storehouse
One of these trees didn't get the autumn color memo
Gyokuseninmaru Garden has maple trees at the back and is very pleasant to stroll through in better weather
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