Kyoto Maple Leaf Hunting | It's maple leaf season again! Go to Kyoto to see the maple leaves!
Unconsciously, I have traveled through the four seasons of Japan, the cherry blossoms of spring, the fireworks of summer, the maple of autumn, and the snow of winter, all of which are fascinating. If you ask me which season is the most beautiful in Japan, I can only say that they are all beautiful! Each has its irreplaceable features! The maple leaf season is coming! Let me introduce you to a few must-see maple viewing spots in Kyoto! 🍁
Main attractions:
【Houyan Court】
📍Detailed address: 36 Sagatenryuji Manganji-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture
🚗Travel strategy: Get off at JR Saga Arashiyama Station and walk for about ten minutes to reach
Houyan Court is only open to the public in spring and autumn, and it is usually not open. This kind of back-to-back mountain and water courtyard is popular with tourists. Strolling along the stream illuminated by red leaves, enjoying the quiet time, there is also a matcha garden, where you can sit on the tatami and enjoy the scenery of the courtyard.
📌📌Practical tips:
The tickets for Houyan Court and the matcha garden are bought at the entrance of Houyan Court. If you buy a ticket for the matcha garden, you will get a fruit and a bowl of matcha. You can sit on the tatami or wear slippers on the tatami.
【Arashiyama Small Train】
The best direction to take the small train is from Kameoka Station of the small train back to Arashiyama, so you don't have to go back. Here, please note that if you go to Kameoka Station of the small train, please be sure to take the JR line to Mabori Station! The key point is ⚠️JR Mabori Station, it takes about 5 minutes to walk from JR Mabori Station to Kameoka Station of the small train. It is best to choose the 5th carriage, because this carriage is an open carriage, which can better appreciate the scenery of Hozu Gorge.
📌Practical tips:
1⃣️From Kameoka Station to Arashiyama Station, you can see both sides of the carriage. The left side can see Hozu Gorge in the first section, and the right side can see the later section. However, it should be noted that it is warm, the wind is very strong, and it is relatively cold.
2⃣️The small train is closed every Wednesday.
【Sagano Bamboo Forest】
Get off at Arashiyama Station of the small train and walk to the bamboo forest. The best way to appreciate it is to walk, but you can also take a rickshaw. There is also a temple here, which is very popular, and it is said to be very effective
【Kitano Tenmangu Shrine】
📍Detailed address: Bakurocho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City
🚗Travel strategy: Take the city bus to Kitano Tenmangu-mae Station
This is usually a place to pray for smooth studies, but when it comes to autumn nights, it will become more beautiful, because the lights are turned on and shone on the red leaves, showing a well-arranged, forest-dyed feeling. The park is very large, from dusk to night, even if you walk around, you still have more than enough, and if you are tired, you can get a tea snack at the exit with your ticket and sit at the small table to drink tea.
📌Practical tips:
1⃣️The recommended tour time is two hours
2⃣️The business hours are 9-20 o'clock, but the lighting time is also very early, it is recommended to come here at four to five o'clock.
This time, take the Kyoto bus No. 50 to Tianmangong to enjoy plum blossoms. There are many plum blossoms to appreciate. You can enjoy plum blossoms without entering the plum garden for a fee. After that, take the 203 bus to Jin Market. It is a good trip.
Entering the red leaf garden for a separate charge is actually part of the earthen wall of the former Fengchen Xiuji period. Below is a small valley full of maple trees, a gurgling stream, across a small bridge-the bridge is impressive, and the name is also very beautiful: the bridge. This red leaf with natural mountains and forests is different in style from the tall and dense in other temples in Kyoto. There are also many maple varieties, green, yellow, orange, red, and different colors of maple leaves are spread out... breathtaking.
[Kyoto·Kitano Tenno Palace·Niu turned dry] On the first day of the New Year, I came to enjoy plum blossoms and worship the cow. All friends were healthy and happy in the Year of the Ox. I pray that everything I think in my heart can be achieved, and I hope that the wind and rain can also be reliant on the boat.
The shrine offering sacrifices to the Japanese literary opera star Nakahara Daozhen is only 800 meters away from our residence, so we wandered there. Most of the introductions about Kanyuan Daozhen in China are that he was a god of resentment and was later offered as a god of learning. In fact, he was the first person to suggest to the Emperor that he stop sending Tang envoys and develop Japan's own culture. In addition, he likes Bai Juyi's poems very much, so he also likes plum blossoms. There is Merlin in Tianman Palace in Beiye, which can be enjoyed. The stone lion at the entrance is also engraved with plum blossoms. Nevertheless, it is meaningless to think that learning this kind of thing and praying for God and Buddha is mainly self-effort.
I went to Tianmangong at night, just in time for a night ceremony, or quite interesting. The Tianman Palace itself is not very large, and the buildings are relatively concentrated, which is different from the spacious architecture of other temples in Kyoto, so the lighting at night is very beautiful.
In spring, plum blossoms blossom beautifully. To appreciate plum in spring, you need tickets, with tea and snacks. To tell you the truth, tea is really not good to drink. Tianmangong is a successful place to study. My friends and I went to paint horses and bought imperial guards. In spring, we really got into the university we wanted to go to. Last time I went there, I saw a couple holding a traditional Japanese wedding. Beiye Tianmangong can go with Jinge Temple and take a bus. Very convenient.