Kyoto: Peak Colors

Since our second report in Kyoto one week earlier, the autumn colors have progressed nicely, with the city now awash with yellows and reds. Today I visited two of Kyoto's most popular locations, Kiyomizudera Temple and Arashiyama, as well as the less-crowded Kitano Tenmangu Shrine.

Due to above average temperatures at the start of the season, this autumn has been a late one, but the colors are finally starting to peak also in central Kyoto. I expect the city to remain a spectacular autumn color destination for one to two more weeks.

My first stop for the day was Arashiyama. Of the three spots I visited, the autumn colors were furthest along here and offered scenic views. Looking across at Togetsukyo Bridge, it was framed against a backdrop of autumn leaves.

While in Arashiyama, I visited two temples. The first was Tenryuji, a 12th century Zen temple with a beautiful landscape garden. Around the pond the trees were vibrant when lit up by the sun, while higher in the garden's hills, the maples were a lovely array of reds and yellows, albeit with a couple of greens thrown in as well.

Tucked in a quieter corner of Arashiyama, the second temple I visited was Jojakkoji. The motley of reds, oranges and yellows were particularly spectacular when accented against the deep green of the moss.

After leaving Arashiyama, my second spot for the day was Kitano Tenmangu, a Shinto shrine in the north of the city. The highlight was the maple tree garden, which has a nightly illumination event until December 8 (last entry at 19:40).

I found the maple trees here to be the least progressed compared to other locations. In the sunny areas of the garden, the autumn leaves were ablaze with red and orange, while in the shade, green was still the dominant color.

My final stop for the day was Kiyomizudera Temple. As expected, the crowds were thick but with the leaves almost at their peak, it's easy to see why. Continuing the theme for today, the temple grounds were a tapestry of red, yellow and green. In particular, trees lower down still need another week or so to change from their current green state.

Evening illuminations at Kiyomizudera will be held this year until November 30 (last entry at 21:00).