Kyoto Autumn Leaves 2023.NOV

Last year, I visited too early and the leaves were a bit noticeably green, but this year I was able to visit in the last week of November. I made reservations for Arashiyama Yusai-tei, Enkoji Temple, and Hakuryuen Garden, but I also decided to visit as many other places as I could think of, and although there were a lot of tourists, I was able to enjoy it. In Kyoto, I thought it was important to "secure accommodation" first.

Shogunzuka... Although I have visited Kyoto many times, this was my first time here. This is the best point to see the whole of Kyoto. From now on, I will make it a regular practice to first worship ”Blue Fudo myo oh (buddha stature)'' at Seiryu-den at Shoren-in Monzeki Temple, look around the whole of Kyoto, and then visit other places. A rainbow appeared after the rain.

Arashiyama Yusai-tei...About 800 years ago, it was a villa for the retired emperor.The building, which was currently a Japanese restaurant, has been remodeled into a dyeing art shop and the garden is open to tourists.

Enkoji Temple...This is a temple founded by Ieyasu who invited Zen masters from the Ashikaga School. The autumn leaves in Kyoto are beautiful, but so are the bamboo forests.

Eikando...I visited last year as well, and it was a good timing.

Ima-Kumano Kannon-do is a temple located near Sennyu-ji Temple, and can be reached by walking along a small path. It is a sacred place for the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage.

Jojakkoji Temple...Beside the newly built ossuary, there is a garden that the chief priest himself created, and I was able to look at it with admiration.

Tenryuji Temple...The garden is a classic national treasure, but it's still stunning no matter how many times I see it. There is a risk of getting lost in the crowds from Arashiyama Station to the Tenryuji area. Tourist rickshaws were stuck everywhere.

Chishakuin Temple...When you come here, I want to see Tohaku Hasegawa's paintings, but it's also pleasant to just walk around and see the autumn leaves lined up in the spacious grounds.

Sennyuji(spring flaw) Temple...I visited for the first time in 9 years. It seems that it was called Senyu-ji（hermit walk) Temple when it first opened, and you will fall into the illusion that you are walking along a long slope and tracing a deep mountain valley. What I discovered this time was that, as the name suggests, I found a building with a gushing spring, and that the eyes of the onigawara(demon shape roof tile) glow when they overlap with the sun.

Hakuryuen Garden... It is said that a local benefactor maintained the mountain and created the garden after the war, and this area is said to have been the place where Imperial Prince Koretaka retired after he was unable to ascend to the throne due to Yoshifusa Fujiwara's sideway. There is also a legend that Komachi Ono and Yoshitsune also stayed there, but I don't think it can be called a hidden village if there are so many famous people there.

Emperor Montoku's successor was Imperial Prince Korehito (Emperor Seiwa), who became the founder of the Seiwa-Genji clan.

We will take the Eizan Railway to Kurama, and from a corner of Hakuryuen Garden, we can see the train running through the valley.

I'm looking forward to seeing the autumn leaves next year.