Autumn in Another World…

Kyoto may still be partying at its summer festivals but it’s already glancing at the season down the road.

食欲の秋: autumn is for the appetite. Start with Kyoto’s figs — baked into pies, chopped into salads, or tossed in a bowl with a little yogurt at breakfast.

Don’t forget to try Japanese grapes: sweet black Kyoho, large Pione and delicate Koshu — enjoy the citrusy bouquet as a wine or just pop the berries into your mouth.

Autumn is a good time to eat out. One of the highlights of a kaiseki meal comes near the end, when shinmai — rice of the new harvest — is served up steaming in a claypot. Moist and full of flavour, shinmai is plain rice that is anything but.

To work up an appetite, enjoy the fine weather outdoors: view Chinese bellflowers in a temple garden or pick wildflowers in fields of pink, white and purple.

The clear skies of autumn are also made for festivals. Travel through Japanese history with Jidai Matsuri, a pageant of the ages, or watch villagers light up the night with huge pine torches at the Kurama Fire Festival.

If you’re feeling brave, venture into a demon market — Mononoke Ichi — where the wares are yokai-themed and the stallholders…do not look like people you’d want to bargain with.

This autumn, let Shimaya Stays take you to another world.

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Autumn bookings for our machiya properties, BenTen East and West, are coming in fast. To check the available dates and for a tailor-made itinerary, send us a message via Facebook or visit www.shimayastays.com

#LookingAhead


The content in this article is entirely the opinion of Shimaya Stays’ eConcierge team and does not represent a professional nor commercial recommendation in any manner. Shimaya Stays will be more than happy to assist our guests in securing the necessary reservations for the locations mentioned in the article, where applicable. To book your stays with Shimaya Stays, please visit and contact us via our website. Thank you.

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