RY 7.1 Kyoto in the Fall

Cassandra Gonzales
Nov 4 · 5 min read
Eat Pray Leaf 🍁

Since we were Kyoto in December, we were at the tail-end of the Fall season and beginning of Winter — a transitional month, if you will. The last time I was in Japan, it was during the cherry blossom season in April and it was absolutely beautiful! 🌸 Since then I’ve been wanting to visit Japan in Fall to see the beautiful Fall foliage 🍁 By this time though, the leaves had already begun falling. Thankfully I was able to make the most of it and visit a few spots before the trees became completely bare. I can only imagine how much more beautiful the foliage would’ve been had we arrived a week or so earlier. Please enjoy my momijigari (紅葉狩り)—the act of visiting places where the leaves have turned red.

Fun fact! You’ll often hear the word ‘momiji’ (紅葉) during Fall because it means ‘red leaf’ or ‘maple tree’ 🍁 I first heard of it when I visited Miyajima the year before, where momiji manju originates from. It’s a dessert similar to taiyaki, except it’s shaped like a maple leaf. If you get a chance to visit Miyajima, definitely try one!


Tofukuji Temple

Google Map Link

I was told by Atene, my friend who lives in Japan, that Tofukuji Temple is THE place to go to for seeing the autumn leaves and said it was urgent that I go before all the leaves have fallen. So the following day I managed to convince My Linh and Lillian to go with me to see it. When taking the local train here, get off at Tobakaido Station instead of Tofukuji Station (it’s a shorter walk to the temple). While many of the leaves have fallen already, it was still a beautiful sight to see with most of grounds covered in leaves of all sizes and fall hues.

Here it is, your moment of zen.
Thanks for tagging along ladies!

Myōshinji Temple

Google Map Link

Many of the temples here in Kyoto are surrounded by beautiful gardens, and Myōshinji Temple is no different. As the temple is a bit aways from the city centre, it’s not busy at all—perfect for a morning stroll.

We were two of only a handful of folks here, it was nice

Higashiyama Jisho-ji

Google Map Link

This temple is more widely known as the Silver Pavilion. What’s nice about this spot is that part of it is a short hike up the mountain for a view of the entire grounds, as well as a sprawling city view of Kyoto behind it. If you’re planning on seeing the Philosopher’s Path, this temple is right by it.

Such stunning trees and gardens here

Ruriko-in Temple

Google Map Link

Another spot I really wanted to see was Ruriko-in Temple. Unfortunately by the time we got there, the majority of the leaves have fallen already. It was still a fun journey to get there, and the temple grounds were really pretty. Had the leaves been there, oh man… it’d be beautiful. The entrance fee is a little steep at ~2,000¥, so best to go when there is much more foliage on the trees.

If only we were here earlier, at peak foliage! Can you imagine?
We enjoyed a cup of tea here
They were happy to tag along, I swear.

Imperial Palace

Google Map Link

The Imperial Palace was a short 15 minute bike ride from our house, so I visited it a few times. One of these times I stumbled upon a grey heron by my favourite bridge (I’ve got a thing for bridges) near Kujō Pond. It didn’t waiver at all as I approached it to get a few photos.

He was totally posing for me.

Nanzen-ji Temple

Google Map Link

Nanzen-ji Temple came about while researching interesting places to visit in Kyoto. This one just happened to be within walking distance of our house, so I invited my fellow roomie Tracy to come join me in exploring. The real gem of Nanzen-ji is the Suirokaku Aqueduct found towards the back of it. As the only aqueduct in Kyoto, it’s often referred to as the Kyoto Aqueduct. We definitely had a blast exploring and taking photos here.

Excuse me miss you’re in my shot…
Always a fun adventure with this babe

If you have an opportunity to visit Japan in the Fall, I hope this post inspires you to go. If you can time your visit during the peak of Fall, even better! And definitely don’t forget to bring your phone or camera to capture its beauty 😍

Cassandra Gonzales

Written by

Travelled the world as a digital nomad with Remote Year Denali 2018–2019 and documenting my memories here so I don’t forget!

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