Falling in Love with Kyoto: Part 1

I love the long history and traditional culture of Japan, and so visiting sacred places and seeing ancient structures, such as temples, shrines, and castles, is always a travel goal of mine here. And there is no place better than Kyoto to get a glimpse into the beautiful Japan of old. Kyoto was the Imperial capital of Japan for over a thousand years (794 - 1868) and is aptly nicknamed as the City of Ten Thousand Shrines. This alone is enough to make me delirious with joy, but even more I was able to combine my fascination of ancient Japan with my love of nature and visit Kyoto during it's spectacular fall season.

Some girls dressed traditionally in kimonos
enter a shrine complex in Kyoto

While most people try to visit Kyoto in the spring for hanami ( 花見 - cherry blossom viewing), I would like to make the case for visiting in the fall for momiji ( 紅葉 - fall foliage viewing).  First, there is the practical reasoning of timing. The fall leaves in Kyoto begin around mid-October and last until around mid-December, with the peak being about mid-November. Compare this two month period with the fleeting three weeks from about the end of March to mid-April for cherry blossoms, and there is the reasonable fear that the cherry blossoms could easily be missed. A second practical consideration is that because the cherry blossom season is so much shorter (and arguably more popular because cherry blossoms are seen as the iconic flower of Japan), everywhere will be that much more crowded.

An example of the vibrant colours
of the various Japanese maples

The leaves of this tree were
a beautiful shade of yellow

But on to the aesthetics, the intensity of the fall colours in Kyoto; bright oranges, yellows, and reds, have been well-known since the Heian period (794 - 1185). Because the central area of Kyoto is a valley surrounded by mountain ranges, the temperature of the region is more extreme, and in the fall this means that all the leaves change colour almost simultaneously and with a deep richness of hues. As exquisite as cherry blossoms are, the variety of colours displayed in the fall completely takes my breath away. But rather than try to convince you further, I will let my postings speak for themselves.

Nijoujou's Karamon Gate with Nijomaru Palace behind

So again, because of my love of traditional Japan being combined with the beautiful nature of the fall season, this was therefore for me a much-anticipated trip, and being so, I purposely saved it as a farewell pilgrimage of sorts for my last year in Japan. In this and my next few posts I would like to share with you my explorations of Kyoto's famous temples and shrines amid the beautiful fall foliage.

The detail of Karamon Gate

One of the first places I visited was Nijo Castle (二条城 - Nijoujou). A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nijoujou was built in 1603 by one of the most powerful Shogun in Japan's history, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and is a historic monument of Ancient Kyoto. It is surround by a moat and stone walls and inside this has two circles of defense (Honmaru and Ninomaru) with gardens and palace buildings. Much of the Honmaru line of defense was destroyed in the 18th century and never rebuilt, and the Honmaru Palace is not always open to the public. But the main attractions of Nijoujou are the Karamon Gate to the east, and Ninomaru Palace and its gardens.

Ninomaru gardens - traditional Japanese landscape gardens

Because Ninomaru Palace was the Kyoto residence of the Shogun, it is intricately decorated with gold designs on the ceilings of the most special rooms and traditionally painted cranes and such on the sliding doors, called fusuma (襖), neither of which could be photographed for preservation reasons unfortunately.

An old drum to warn of
invasion by Nijomaru Palace

Another special feature of the Nijomaru palace, and one that I was particularly excited about, was to walk over its "nightingale floors". Nightingale floors are floors specially designed to squeak (and sound like a nightingale) when walked on to warn of intruders -- real ninja stuff! Naturally, I walked back and forth over the squeaky section of flooring, trying to see if I had any secret ninja skills, but I can't claim as such - even though the floorboards are terribly old and probably weren't nearly as squeaky as when first made!

A very Zen fountain display
in the gardens - water falling
directly on a rock and splitting.

Kinkakuji - The Golden Pavilion

The next place I visited is one of the most famous sights in Kyoto - Kinkakuji ( 金閣寺 ) - the Golden Pavilion. Originally named Rokuonji ( 鹿苑寺 - the Deer Garden Temple ), it was a villa of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and then by his request became a Rinzai sect Zen Buddhist temple after he died in 1408. The surrounding gardens are beautiful and a great example of the Muromachi period landscape designs.

The shrine to make
offerings at Kinkakuji

But of course, the main attraction is the stunning Golden Pavilion itself, with the top two floors covered extravagantly in gold leaf. This extravagance is meant to echo the Kitayama culture of Kyoto's aristocratic circles from the time.

My excellent fortune from
Kinkakuji's shrine!

Also interesting to know is that each of the three floors of the Golden Pavilion are of a different architectural style. The first floor, with its natural wood pillars and white plaster walls, is from the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian period. The second floor is in the Bukke style, which was used for samurai residences. Finally, the third and topmost floor is built in the style of a Chinese Zen Buddhist hall and has a phoenix on its roof. In person, Kinkakuji was truly spectacular - photographs do not entirely capture it!


Check back later for more postings about my Kyoto travels!

Information Source: japan-guide.com