33
oohlala
see autumn
foliage
One-timeKoberesidentLucilleC.Gabriel
sharessome ideasonwhereandhowto
enjoyautumn inJapan’sKansai region
falling for fall
TheKansai region—
encompassing such
cultural centers asKyoto,
Nara,OsakaandKobe—
explodeswithfiery reds and
yellows courtesyofmaple
andginkgo trees this time
of the year.AroundKyoto,
thevibrant colors of autumn
foliagepeak inmid- to late-
November.Herearea few
of thebest places toenjoy
the scenery.
NIGHT
ILLUMINATION
If there is one thing I
learned inJapan it’s that
they takeeverything—
even the changingof the
seasons—very seriously.
When trees start turning
theJapanese start to
engage in
momijigari
, or the
traditionof viewingautumn
leaves. Some temples, like
Kiyomizu-dera inKyoto,
offer night illuminations to
enhance thealreadyvivid
colors. Eikan-doZenrin-ji is
anothermust-see temple,
with the spotlit autumn
leaves surroundingpretty
HojoPondhighlighting its
majesticgrounds.
MOUNTAINSONFIRE
Analternativeway toenjoy
the seasonal splendor is
tohead into thearea’s
serenemountain ranges.
Arashiyama, inKyoto, is
particularlypopular for its
romanticbackdrop to the
iconicTogetsukyoBridge
(orMoonCrossingBridge).
KobeCity, less thanan
hour by regular train from
centralOsaka, is overlooked
bymany tourists, save for
theoccasional foodie in
searchofKobebeef. The
mountains here, however,
aregorgeousduring the
fall and canbe reachedby
hikingor by cable car.Hikers
should considerMount
RokkoorMountMaya,
whileothers, likeme, who
prefer toenjoymountains
without strenuouswalking
can take theRokkoCable
Line toMountRokko, or
theShin-KobeRopeway to
NunobikiHerbGarden in
MountMaya.
CATCH IT IFYOUCAN
I thinkpart of the charm
of autumnal foliage—and
the sameholds true for the
springtime cherryblossom
season— is thebrief period in
thesemarvels canbeviewed.
Thevibrant colors of autumn
canbeenjoyed for onlyabout a
month; the colors intensify just
before themoment the leaves
start falling, paving theway for
the impendingdrearywinter.
Thebeauty, dazzling though it
maybe, is ephemeral.
Kiyomizu-dera, apopular temple inKyoto, iswidely
consideredoneof thebestplaces toviewautumn foliage.
Locatedat the topofbustlingHigashiyamaDistrict,
Kiyomizu-deraholdsnight illuminations inNovember.
The templecangetextremelycrowdedduringpeak
season, and longqueuesmaydiscouragesome from
going inside,but thestunningviewsaround the temple
complexmore thancompensate for thewaiting time.
BESTSPOTFOR
MOMIJIGARI
ORAUTUMNLEAVESVIEWING
Clockwise:Todai-ji
Temple inNara;Hojo
Pond inEikan-do
Zenrin-ji;Arashiyama
PHOTOSBYLUCILLECGABRIEL
