3rd visit for Koyo in Kyoto.  Stayed for 4 nights in 3rd week of November.  Though some popular Koyo spots were already past peak such as Tenryu-ji and Kinkaku-ji, we were so lucky as days were sunny and calm.

Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺)

Stunning Koyo, more beautiful than our last Koyo visit in 2004 🙂

Tofuku-ji (東福寺)

2nd visit for Koyo as well.  Went there around 9am and there were huge crowds already.  Slightly after peak than our last visit with many fallen leaves. Due to light rain on previous night, the fallen leaves were showing different textures and tone in the morning sun. Unlike our last visit in 2004, photography was forbidden on the Tsuten bridge, presumably to speed up the flow of crowds.

Shisendo (詩仙堂)

Shisendo literally means hall of saints of poets. Small beautiful hall with a lovely garden.  Koyo was beyond peak colours. Inside the hall there are portraits and essay excerpts/poems by 36 scholars/writers from ancient China. Apart from the renowned scholars and writers in Tang and Sung dynasties, some of the writers in earlier Han and Jin dynasties were unheard of.  Poems were written in an ancient Chinese calligraphy used in the Han dynasty.

==> Kyoto (Part 2) ==>