Kyoto might be known for its impressive scenery year round, but its magic in the fall is simply spellbinding.
While the world can’t get enough of the candy pink cherry blossoms blanketing the lands in Japan during spring, the fall foliage is a more underrated beauty that the country has to offer. In its cultural capital, Kyoto, autumn culminates in a spectacle of brilliant colours!
The picturesque gardens in popular temples, the rich foliage of the hills guarding the city, the leafy retreats found in its heart, and the rolling countryside landscape just a stretch away — Kyoto brims with breathtaking locations where the changing leaves turn the city into a kaleidoscope of fall shades!
As scorching summer heat gives way to cooler autumn, the leaves begin to change, creating breathtaking vistas covered in swathes of vibrant red, orange, and golden yellow leaves. Naturally, this means engaging in the ultimate Japanese autumn pastime — momiji-gari, meaning ‘hunting red leaves’.
Japanese maples, wax trees, rowan, burning bush, and sumac turn red; the leaves of linden-leaved maples, ginkgo, elms, and poplars turn golden yellow; and birches, chestnuts, oaks, and beeches shed leaves in shades of orange and brown. Other than the trees, there are also the aki no nanakusa, or the seven representative flowers and grasses of autumn that herald the season’s arrival, including orange osmanthus, blood-red spider lilies, and chrysanthemums in their delicate pastel glory.
The falling temperatures also signal the arrival of fall flavours. Think chestnuts and freshly harvested rice, fragrant pine mushroom broth, oily grilled Pacific mackerel, pumpkin soup, and sweet persimmons. A hearty comforting meal followed by a dip in an onsen at a traditional ryokan is the perfect way to get a warming respite from the bracing chill of autumn air.
When to see fall foliage in Kyoto?
The leaves start to change shade in Kyoto in mid October. The peak of fall foliage usually comes in mid-November and stays until mid-December. The best part? Unlike Sakura season that only peaks for a few days a year, the fall foliage in Kyoto lasts for up to two months. If you arrive a bit too early, there’s Kitayama Mountains where you can find trees that already begin to don fall colours. A bit too late? You can always travel south to Uji or Nara for the last few glimpses of the season!
Where to enjoy autumn in Kyoto?
Kyoto is awash with good foliage spots — whether you choose to visit the popular shrines scattered around the city, hike up the forested mountains, or stroll along the gorgeous streets and parks lined with maples, ginkgo, and Japanese sumac. Visit famous temples and shrines like Daigo-ji, Tofuku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Nanzen-ji, Shinyodo, Ginkaku-ji, and Honen-ji to find their beautiful gardens carpeted with maples that turn a crisp crimson in November.
The mountainsides are festooned with maples in Japan, and so the mountain village of Takao has been easily one of Kyoto’s most famous foliage destinations for years. Arashiyama is home to Zen Buddhist temples with maple tree gardens and towering bamboo stalks that bring out breathtaking fall colours. Visit Okochi-Sanso Villa (one of Kyoto’s most lush gardens) and the Kyoto Gyoen (Imperial Palace Park) for a spectacle away from the crowds.
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