The hot summer is finally over, and the next is the season for autumn leaves viewing! How is the coloring of the autumn leaves going so far this year? How does the intense heat of this summer affect the coloring of the leaves? When and where to go? We are going to answer questions like that.

A relation between the autumn leaves and the rainfall.

When the autumn comes each year, converse about how the heat of the summer was and how the autumn arrived based on the color of the leaves while gazing at autumn leaves. It’ll make you very Japanese like if you can casually have a conversation like that. Here are some tips for that...

Needless to say, the heat of the summer affects the coloring of the leaves. It promotes photosynthesis, and increases the chance of leaves changing their color beautifully. We also need to be worried about the rainfall. If it doesn’t rain for too long, the leaves suffer from lack of water inside, and they will get curled in the autumn.

If you find that the pointy tip of the beautiful maple leaves are curled, try muttering “That’s because It didn’t rain for a long time this summer.”

It’s taking forever to get cool this autumn! Any impact on the autumn leaves?

The autumn is arriving a little later than usual this year, but it seems to be slowly getting cooler now, how do you feel? The arrival time of the autumn, the temperature and typhoons as well affect the beautifulness of coloring of the leaves in autumn.

The high peak of autumn leaves varies depending on when the autumn arrives. As regards to the tendency in recent years, the autumn leaves in Arashiyama Kyoto peaked around November 20th in 2018. And November 30th in 2019. Concerning this year, it is expected to be around the same time of the year as last year.

Coloring of the autumn leaves is said to be more beautiful when there is a bigger difference in temperature between summer and autumn. Hence, we cannot expect too much considering how it has been so far. Concerning typhoons, the Kansai area was hit by less of them than usual this year, so trees and leaves weren't damaged. In that context, we can expect the autumn leaves to be beautiful.

Recommended autumn leaves viewing spots in Kansai

We are going to introduce less crowded spots this year, as we take the COVID-19 prevention into consideration, however, it is still Kyoto and Nara, so a little crowdedness is inevitable. 

Nara Park (Nara)

Probably you are going to say “Yes, but It’s already super famous!”, but we’ll introduce it anyway. The best point about the Nara Park is that it’s very spacious. It has an area of surprising 660 hectares. Another good point is that the park also comprises many trails where you can enjoy hanging out only with your friends or families while keeping a safe distance from crowds. 

Its large area allows you to enjoy your visit without worrying about the COVID-19, and it is most likely that deers don’t carry the virus. Nara Park, where anyone can find favorite spots, is recommended not just during the season for the autumn leaves but also throughout the year.

The most recommended area of the Nara park is not the area around Todaiji or Kofukuji which is always crowded but the southern end of the park where Ukimi-do is located. Ukimi-do stands as if it’s floating on the Sagi-ike Pond, and the reflection of the autumn leaves on the water surface is very beautiful. This area certainly is a quiet nice spot as those people who are rushing through their visit usually don’t get to this area.

Kasugayama promenade (Nara)

Since Kasugayama is a primeval forest conserved as god’s mountain, it boasts its surprisingly wide variety of trees. It is an ideal spot not only for the autumn leaves viewing but also for a walk in the woods or bird watching. The promenade is well maintained and easy to walk on, so you can compensate for your lack of exercise while enjoying the maple leaves. If you are favored with luck, you might get to see wild deers in their natural habitat.

Kodaiji Temple(Kyoto)

Kodaiji, which is known as a temple related to Nene, the official wife of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and also popular among people who enjoy the tea ceremony, is a recommended spot to visit especially in the evening. The autumn leaves reflected in a pond on the way to the main temple is simply amazing, it is just like a mirror surface. The surrounding area creates a great atmosphere that makes us want to string together many adjectives such as fantastic, mysterious, quiet and beautiful, and romantic.

Will the temple not be crowded if it is that amazing? Yes, it will be! But the good point is that their illumination lasts for a long period. That will split up the crowd. This year, it is scheduled to be illuminated, at 17:00~, from October 23rd to December 13th.

Conclusions 

In addition to those spots, there are still too many spots we want to introduce including beautiful Rurikoin located in Yase Kyoto. But, let us slightly change the subject and introduce a handbag brand themed autumn leaves, “caedeKyoto”. 

This handbag is colored just like maple leaves, and has a feel of the autumn. Please stop by at the store when you are on the way to or from autumn leaves viewing spots.