I have been dreaming of fall for 27 years. Growing up in South Florida, I never had the opportunity to witness a true fall (autumn) season. Florida doesn’t have the same four seasons as most places do. In fact, let’s call Florida’s seasons….. Hot, Sweltering, Warm, and Somewhat Cool. With the exception of a few scarf-and-boot-wearing weeks in the ‘Somewhat Cool’ season, expect to be in shorts (or wishing you were in shorts) at all times! Which circles back to the reason as to why I’ve been dreaming of fall…
As most of you may know, I live in Osaka, Japan. Recap: Where exactly is that? Here’s a map to show you.
Because of our location in the Kinki region, we get four true seasons. Wahoo! In Osaka, fall colors normally appear at the start of November. The beautiful leaves are said to linger until mid-December, although this year proved to be a little different due to colder temperatures creeping in earlier than usual.
With this being my first fall EVER, I wanted to take as many day-trips as possible throughout November to see the scenic spots. As I write this post, I’m happy to say that I’ve successfully visited three renowned fall leave spots, the first one being the lovely Kõya-san. My visit was on Friday, November 4th.
About an hour and a half south of Osaka by train, lies ancient Kõya-san. Don’t let the southern direction fool you though, it’s actually much colder here than in Osaka due to the higher altitude. In order to make it completely to Kõya-san, you need to take a five-minute ride in a cable car that goes up the mountain at a ridiculous 45 degree angle.
Kõya-san is home to an active monastery, which was founded 12 centuries ago. The monastery is used to study and practice Buddhism, a faith that’s widely followed throughout Japan. In 2004, Kõya-san was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, which has created a vast amount of tourism for this sacred place. If you are a temple fanatic, put Kõya-san on your must-do list. There are numerous temples and places of worship within walking distance of one another.
The main area in Kõya-san is called Okunoin. Okunoin is lined with some of the most unique walking paths. Why? Well, because there are thousands of ancient gravestones to keep your attention. Also, possibly the tallest, oldest trees I’ve ever seen. I felt like I was walking through Japanese history.
As I made my way through my selected path, I stumbled upon the photography jackpot: Ichinohashi bridge! It was my first glimpse of fall and I was totally wowed. The sun was brightly shining down and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Perfect photo conditions.
The full-on fall beauty I discovered at Ichinohashi bridge was nothing short of memorable. I would have been content if I didn’t see another tree for the rest of the day. Still, I discovered several other bursts of color throughout my adventure.
A successful day sightseeing in Kõya-san. (:
When You Wander 