Beautiful Kyouyou

I want to share the images my sister took when she went to Kyoto recently..It’s breathtakingly beautiful. Kyoto is one of the most beautiful cities with long history and it is one of the most popular destinations for tourists including Japanese people! You see the most beautiful fall foliages in Kyo around this time of the year. I don’t do well in winter..I am spoiled because of the weather in Southern California but I really miss Fall leaf color in Japan. You see the vibrant maple leaves in the countryside. Kyoto is a big city with long history so you can enjoy both crowded popular places typically seen in big cities and sacred shrines and temples throughout the city. Japan is filled with maple trees and not just foreign tourists but both local and non-local Japanese people visit Kyoto to view the changing color of the fall leaves. It’s beautiful..This practice of fall leaf viewing is called “Momijigari”. Momijigari has a long history and it is said that noble families in the Heian Period started this tradition. What I like the most is that you don’t see the exact same fall foliages every year. Depending on rainfall, the colors and the vibrance of the leaves change from year to year. You can view the fall foliages until the first week of December. I have never been to any of those illumination events but during this popular tourist season in Kyoto, many temples and shrines hold evening illuminations and it is beautiful..and romantic. Growing up in the countryside of Japan, I have good memories of going to Momijigari with my family to feel the cooler weather and yellow and red leaves everywhere. Japan is famous for cherry blossoms viewing but momijigari is another amazing event you don’t want to miss out.