Autumn Leaves in Kyoto

Our last big adventure while Carolyn was visiting was one more trip to Kyoto to try and see some of the mythically gorgeous autumn leaves that everyone was raving about. I had heard stories about the autumn leaves in Kyoto and how hotspots like the Kinkakuji (the Golden Temple) are packed like commuter trains from the entrance to the exit. Several people had warned me not to go on the weekend out of fear for my safety. Seriously. First, we headed to Nijo-Jo (Nijo Castle). This is the castle with the Nightingale floors you may have heard of. The floors chirp when you walk on them. They were designed that way to prevent espionage and potential attacks by warning the residents that someone was coming. The floors still chirp to this day. We had a good time - I had missed this stop when Gwen and Nicole visited because I had to work. I'm glad I got a chance to go, though. Did I mention that Kyoto is full of awesome things to see?

Even so, Carolyn and I are made of stout stuff. We did forgo the Kinkakuji, but decided to head to the Kiyomizudera - another extremely famous temple in Kyoto with a large deck that overlooks the city and surrounding hillsides. This turned out to be an especially good place for autumn leaf watching. We were there right at the peak of the color and the temple grounds are large enough that you aren't suffocated by people - though the crowds were still impressive. The narrow streets up to the temple were a bit daunting.

In fact, the crowd flow was good enough that we could fairly easily get up to the front to take the best pictures of each view. I had assumed we would just have to take pictures over the crowd, but that wasn't the case. Nice! Of course, as you may remember from our previous trip to Kiyomizudera with Gwen and Nicole, there is a large iron post for people to attempt lifting as you enter the temple. I believe I got a shot of Russell trying to lift the post last time. Like brother like sister. I don't think Carolyn had much more luck.

Result? The views were impressive. The foliage was gorgeous and even though we were there as the sun was setting and caught more dusk than daylight, we got some amazing pictures and had a really good time.