Nov 2, 2015 - 1 min read

Red Leaves on Koya-san

Amazing mountain foliage in October

By Kenny King Hin Choi

Community writer

The path leading to Reihokan Museum becomes much more attractive

Trees dressed up in different colours outside Kangakuin

While some trees have changed their colours, some remain dark green

Dark orange leaves lean over a red bridge in a shrine

Dark red leaves make a stark contrast to the light blue sky

It is even more beautiful when leaves of different colours overlap each other

Foliage at Zofukuin extends out of the garden to create a shadow over the path

No other countries could boost a more colourful cemetery as the one in Okunoin as they are richly decorated by the leaves

Watching red leaves in autumn is the top priority for almost all tourists to Japan. In late October, the coastal cities are still quite warm, and leaves are still green as usual. But higher on the mountains with lower temperature, they are gradually changing their hue. Koya-san in Wakayama prefecture is around 800 to 1000 meters above sea level. Most foliage has already turned red and yellow; while some others are just starting to put on new colors. This creates terrific scenes as you stroll in the many pleasant gardens. As temples, shrines and traditional houses spread out on the mountain, the colorful foliage matches, or sometimes contrasts, with their bright red or dark brown colors. The color of nature and human culture comes together to create breathtaking scenes on the mountains.