Autumn in Japan

This past April I visited Tokyo during cherry blossom (Sakura) time. It was my second visit to Japan's capital city, and it was as beautiful and exciting as the first. In November, I decided to include a side trip to Japan on my way to the U.S., recalling the brilliant yellow leaves of autumn when I was there a few years before in November. This photo tour begins in Kyoto and then concludes in Tokyo. The two cities are quite different, but are similar in their cultural norms, customs, history and beautifully preserved parks and temples.

All photos are by the author © John R Stiles 2016. It is illegal to use any photo without permission. For information, write to jsscience@yahoo.com.

KYOTO

The maples in Kyoto were changing, and although the two days I spent there were barely sufficient, I was thoroughly taken by the historic former capital city and its beautiful green spaces and temples.

A peek into the kitchen of a restaurant in Kyoto's Gion area. This part of Kyoto is a walker's paradise: interesting shops, temples, cobbled streets, and oozing with charm.

A traditional hand washing station at a temple. The Japanese take great pains to design around and include nature.

Traditional rickshaws are available for hire in Gion.

This restaurant scene through the window design drew my attention. Many restaurants are tiny and cozy, like this one.

Everything about this restaurant scene fascinated me: the chef, casually hung umbrella (it was raining), the sign and passing pedestrians gave it a balanced, and somewhat surreal effect.

Kyoto tower reflected in nearby office building. This landmark is across the street from the central train station and has a very comfortable and reasonably priced hotel, which makes catching buses at the train station to go to Kyoto sights very convenient. 

Pagoda at To-Ji ("East") Temple, southwest of the Kyoto train station. It is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. The entire grounds of the temple have been designated a World Heritage Site. The temples are also made entirely of wood and house magnificent wooden statues of Buddha statues and other related deities.

The "Golden Temple", Kinkakuji, a Zen Buddhist temple. The entire two top stories are layered with gold leaf. Many people, mainly women (not just Japanese), dress in traditional kimonos in Kyoto to be in tune with the history and culture. There are many shops around the city that rent kimonos.

Umbrellas neatly lined up outside of a gift shop as their owners browse merchandise.

TOKYO
Rikugien Gardens

"Rikugi-en" means "Garden of the Six Principles of Poetry" and is landscaped to reflect Waka style poetry. A serene park for strolling and reflecting.

This sculpted pine tree seemed to have an iconic Japanese shape.

Togetsukyo Bridge, a beautiful site in the gardens. It was named for a famous waka poem in which the moon moves across the sky and the cry of a crane can be heard from a rice paddy.

Brilliant autumn color in the gardens.

The pine trees in the park had woven straw sleeves around the trunks or large limbs. Added in autumn, the lower rope is tied tightly to keep the sleeve on the tree, and the top one is tied loosely to allow pine beetle larvae to enter where they spend the winter. In spring, the sleeves are gathered along with the dormant larvae, and burned. An ecological alternative to spraying toxic pesticides.

A pleasing scene at one of the ponds in the park.

Shinjuku Gyoen

This National Garden is vast and beautiful, with many paths through groves of trees, along meadows, a Japanese garden and French rose garden.

The huge trees in Shinjuku Gyoen were ablaze with a mix of colors. It was striking.

Surprisingly, I saw no other artist in the park, but there were many photographers, some serious, some casual.

One of hundreds of beautiful blooms in the French garden.

A stunning stand of large trees along the path.

Gingko leaves.

Rose in the French garden.

A Tai Chi practitioner

Ueno Park

Ueno Park, Tokyo's most popular park, is near Ueno Train Station. Famous for its spring cherry blossoms, it is also beautiful in autumn. The biggest difference is that the throngs of people that mass in spring are largely absent in autumn. The park is Tokyo's largest (300 acres) and houses many influential museums, temples, the national zoo, and... a Starbucks.

A bit early for the peak colors, the trees were nonetheless beautiful.

Walkway to Hanazono Inari Temple. Ueno Park is where the vast Kaneiji temple grounds once stood, but now only a few buildings from the powerful temple remain, including this small but beautiful temple.

A semi-annual ceremony at the temple. The ceremony was quite somber and ritualistic. I was told that at this particular temple, animal spirits are important and figure into the nature of the religious rites.

Also known as the "Fox Temple", it honors the spirit of foxes, as this guardian fox shows. Japanese believe very strongly in animal spirits.

Entrance to Toshogu Shinto Shrine ("Golden Shrine") near the zoo.

Reflections in puddles from a recent rain.

Three of the dozens of stone lanterns that border the path to the shrine.

View of the shrine's gilded main entrance.

View of the National Museum.

Schoolboys and a jogger share a path under the colorful spreading trees in Ueno Park.

If you go to Tokyo, plan for some time in the city's spectacular parks. You will be rewarded with serene paths and beautiful gardens, a respite from the frenzy of Tokyo's tourist and shopping areas.