We’ve been here before. With so many places to see in the world, it’s rare for us to revisit an international location. But Japan tends to do that to you. For a place like Arashiyama, we learned that as the seasons change, so too, does the scenery. The last time we were here, we missed the cherry blossom blooms in spring by just one or two weeks. Although our stay there was still highly enjoyable, we felt as if we missed out on a quintessential Arashiyama experience. So this time, we carefully planned our trip to catch the fall colors at its peak, and we succeeded.
Arashiyama in autumn felt like a theme park for showcasing the best of the changing season. And the attractions to this theme park were meticulously designed Buddhist temples, each offering a different flavor of autumn in exchange for a small entrance fee.
After visiting a handful of these temples, my favorite ended up being Jojakko-ji. It's a little more out of the way, but the crowds are a little thinner, especially if you go early in the morning right as they open. The morning walk there was also quite tranquil, putting us in a temple-visiting mood. What I appreciated most with Jojakko-ji was how the temple layout was more vertically-oriented, allowing you to see a balanced layering of colors from red all the way to green. There was also plenty of moss to observe, both on the ground and on the roofs of various structures, providing vibrant accents against the backdrop of reds, oranges and yellows. In fact, one of my favorite photos that I’ve taken during my travels was from here, a glimpse of the moss-covered thatch roof amidst all the colors. Overall, Jojakko-ji was the perfect balance of size, scenery, and price.
Aside from visiting the temples, we also strolled along the Oi river, where the main view of the mountain was. It was interesting to see how different everything looked in fall with a fresh coat of paint, or in this case, splashes of paint. The trees on the mountain slopes all took on different colors, none wanting to look the same as their immediate neighbors, resulting in a painter’s palette effect. The contrast between the blue waters of the river and the fall colors was also a sight to behold. We were so close to seeing the entire spectrum of the rainbow in one view. My only wish was that the sun could’ve shown itself for even better lighting.
All in all, our visit back to Arashiyama gave us a great introduction to what a real autumn should look like. We may eventually find our way here again for the cherry blossoms, but until then, this version of Arashiyama is definitely my favorite.