22 November 2016
Kyoto has many famous autumn-leaf viewing spots and one “must-do” activity when visiting Kyoto in autumn is to visit at least one of these places that featured special night time illumination. Some of the best places to visit in the Higashiyama District includes the Kodai-ji Temple, known for its particularly breath-taking lit up maple leaves, reflecting on the surface of the temple's pond. Near to the Kodai-ji Temple is the Shoren-in temple, known for its evening illuminations which include a dry garden decorated with hundreds of blue LED lights.
As this was our first day in Kyoto, we decided to go see the special autumn light up in the Kodai-ji Temple first. During November, the sky turned dark at about 5 PM and the temple would be opened for the night visitors from sun set till about 9.30 PM.
We had earlier checked into the APA Hotel Kyoto Gion Excellent, our hotel for our 3 days stay in Kyoto. This hotel is conveniently located in Gion and ideal for visits to the best autumn leaves viewing places in the Higashiyama District. To get to the Kodai-ji Temple, it took us only about 15 minutes of leisurely walking from our hotel.
We arrived at about 6.30 PM. There was already a long queue formed and ushers were present to guide visitors to join the queue. While waiting to buy our entrance tickets, we had a sneak preview of the beautiful light up from the outside.
Kodai-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple and has a large bell outside the temple grounds.
Queue waiting to buy the entrance tickets outside the temple.
Although the queue was long, it moved pretty fast and we were soon entering the temple grounds. Like our visit to the Tofuku-ji Temple in the morning, visitors to Kodai-ji followed a roped pathway that led visitors along a course through the temple grounds in an orderly manner.
The autumn leaves at the temple would be impressive by day and even more impressive when lighted up at night.
One of the tea houses within the temple ground. It was not open at night.
The path guided visitors around the temple’s ground, passing by tea houses and a rock garden with artistically raked gravel. There was a light show at the temple’s rock garden but that was not the highlight.
The reflection of the lighted autumn leaves from the temple’s pond was some of the best and most magical views. The photographs cannot do justice to the actual sights and feelings you get when seeing something so awesome and unique. Visitors, including us, were going oohs and aahs, snapping photos every few seconds as they made their way round the pond.
Seeing the lighted leaves reflecting off the temple’s pond was the highlight of the visit to Kodai-ji Temple.
Hard to tell which was the real thing and which was the reflection.
After seeing the pond, the path led us through a bamboo grove, very much like the one at Arashiyama but smaller in size. The light up of the Arashiyama’s bamboo grove only happens from December 9 onwards in 2016 as part of Kyoto’s Hanatoro event and we would be missing it. Kodai-ji Temple’s bamboo grove was lighted up and they were quite impressive and beautiful.
Visitors to the Kodai-ji Temple enjoying a walk through the bamboo grove at night.
A row of lanterns along the path as we leave the temple.
Our visit to the Kodai-ji Temple took slightly over an hour and we came out of the temple at about 8 PM. We could still slot in a visit to the nearby Shoren-in Temple but we decided to go have dinner around Gion district instead.
Kyoto’s Higashiyama District at night as seen from outside the Kodai-ji Temple.
Ishibei-Koji at night.
We walked through a narrow alley called the Ishibei-koji. The entire scenery of this lane and the houses are preserved as important historical buildings. This lane has residential houses, traditional restaurants and ryokans. Most were well preserved with exquisite stone, wooden and bamboo facades making the alley seemed like something out from the ancient samurai era.
There were many high end restaurants in and around Gion district but we were looking for something simple, hot and soupy. We found a nice restaurant along Shijo Dori, just a few hundred meters away from our hotel called the Mimiu Kyoto Gion Restaurant that served noodles. We ordered the noodle dinner sets that included rice mixed with various vegetables, pickles and dessert.
Kamo-Nan Gohen Set. Udon noodles and wild duck in savoury broth with thinly sliced Japanese leeks.
Momiji Set of noodles with prawn tempura.
A perfect way to end a long day of autumn leaves viewing – a nice bowl of hot delicious noodles!
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