Autumn Foliage of Eikando, Kyoto: 3

Fallen leaves around the main gate

By Masayoshi Hirose

Community writer

Translated by Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

1 of 7

The entire woods are in yellow and vermilion. It was hard to resist the temptation to sit down on this beautifully cushioned carpet (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

Vermilion maple leaves adorning bare cedar trees. These maple leaves look like red clouds floating in the sky (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

Autumn leaves seen from a rest place at Hojo Pond (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

The main attraction of this story is the carpet-like fallen leaves on the ground (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

Yet when you look up, you'll find brilliant colors above you, as well as on the ground (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

Vermilion leaves towering over the temple wall which stands along the pathway between the main gate and center gate (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

Enkianthus perulatus (Dodan Tsutsuji) turning red near the south gate (Photo: Masayoshi Hirose)

I visited Eikando in November last year. When I passed through the main gate and was walking toward the center gate, the red maple leaves were cascading over the white wall on the left side of the pathway. Even before entering the temple grounds, tourists and visitors were taking photos furiously. This is truly one of the best places to enjoy autumn foliage!

Once you pass through the center gate you'll be in a different world. There, everything around you is YELLOW! The yellow fallen leaves of ginkgo trees carpet the ground, and they even cover the green moss garden here. They really make the moss look like a yellow carpeted floor.

Buddha Hall in Bliss Series - Autumn Foliage of Eikando, Kyoto: 1 - Autumn Foliage of Eikando, Kyoto: 2 - Autumn Foliage of Eikando, Kyoto: 3