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Summer turns to fall, the days become chillier, and the mountains are ablaze with color.
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Kyotoites have always placed value on the change of the seasons,
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and come late November, all attention turns to the fall foliage.
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Saga-Arashiyama is one of Kyoto’s premier sightseeing locations.
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It has been a favored spot to view the foliage since Kyoto became the capital a millennium ago.
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Deciduous trees turn reds and yellows, and their leaves wither as winter approaches.
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Leaves of the Japanese maple, resembling small hands, turn a fiery red.
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From reds to oranges to yellows, it’s a gradation of colors.
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I don’t think you can see something this stunning anywhere else.
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Autumn greatly influences tea gatherings and other cultural pastimes.
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Autumn equals maples.
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I use utensils with maple motifs so we can delight in the beauty of the season at tea gatherings.
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Core Kyoto explores the sensibilities of Kyotoites through their adoration of the fall colors at Saga-Arashiyama.
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Saga-Arashiyama in the west of the city was once the playground of emperors and aristocrats.
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Arashiyama, a peak with an altitude of around 380 meters, stands to the south of the river that flows through the area.
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Come autumn, it becomes a patchwork of reds, yellows, and greens.
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Horin-ji, founded in 713, is nestled at the foot of the mountain.
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This Buddhist temple, dedicated to the bodhisattva who bestows wisdom,
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draws many devotees, but it attracts even more attention in fall.
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The stairs leading up to the main hall become a tunnel of color.
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The Saga-Arashiyama area is easily accessible from downtown Kyoto.
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Arashiyama is 2 degrees Celsius or 3 degrees Celsius cooler than downtown, so the leaves turn earlier.
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Many of the trees are deciduous, and the area has always attracted a flock of visitors.
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Fall is the time of harvest, a chance to enjoy nature’s bounty –
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that we have worked hard to produce throughout the year.
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It’s a time to relax as we prepare for the harsh winter ahead –
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and the red of the leaves lifts our spirits. That makes fall a special time of year.
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Across the river from Arashiyama is a rounded hill, called Mt. Ogura.
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Jojakko-ji, which stands at its base was established around four centuries ago.
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Deciduous trees line the path to the main hall.
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About 200 Japanese maples grow on the Buddhist temple grounds,
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enveloping visitors in a world of reds and yellows.
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The maples also grow on the slopes of Mt. Ogura, creating a sculptural, fall scene.
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We have many kinds of Japanese maples, but there are two main types.
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There’s the “irohamomiji” that turns a bright red, and its leaves are small.
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The other is the “omomiji,” so named for its large leaves.
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But these basically turn bright yellow.
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Our temple’s drawing card is how the reds of the “irohamomiji” –
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and the yellows of the “omomiji” overlap, creating a gradation.
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It’s like a maple brocade, and it’s captivating.
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From a Buddhist perspective, Nagao believes that the maples, beautiful in fall, resonate in the hearts of Japanese.
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In spring, Japanese maples sprout yellowish-green buds.
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In summer, the verdant cover is the perfect shade from the sun.
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In autumn, the leaves turn yellow and red, day by day.
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This transition is similar to the Buddhist teaching of all things being impermanent.
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In today’s language, it’s like atoms transforming.
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Right now, I’m not the person I was moments ago. It’s the concept of constant change.
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I feel this most in the turning of the maple leaves.
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Kyotoites are reminded of the transience of their lives and their changing selves
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when they see the autumnal cloak of the maples before their leaves drop.
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The aristocrats took much pleasure in the fall foliage at the height of court life 1,000 years ago.
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“The Tale of Genji” written in the early 11th century depicts court life.
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In one scene, the characters are enjoying entertainment while viewing the turning colors.
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Poetry was a refined pastime, and the courtiers would wallow in the sorrow of the fleetingness of the fall.
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“Oh, maples of Mt. Ogura,
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If you understand human emotion,
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Wait until the emperor comes again,
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Before you drop your leaves.”
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Upon seeing the beauty of the Saga-Arashiyama area in autumn,
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it is not hard to imagine how the stunning scenery touched the hearts of Kyotoites back then.
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One of the secrets of Arashiyama’s fall scenery is the topography.
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Umebayashi Hideyuki teaches a university course in archeology and urban history through fieldwork.
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A feature of Saga-Arashiyama is the river flowing between the mountains.
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Movement of the Earth’s crust from the east and west pushed up the ground around 200 million years ago,
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and the many fault lines are evident in the resulting landscape.
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Umebayashi believes this rugged terrain is key.
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First, Arashiyama has a river flowing downstream that brings with it cold air.
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That air creates a difference in temperature that triggers the leaves to change color.
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Further, tectonic movement created sheer cliffs, upon which maples tend to take root.
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So, the temperature difference and the sheer cliffs create an ideal environment conducive to maples.
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Furthermore, Umebayashi believes the reason Saga-Arashiyama became famous for its foliage
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stems from its proximity as a retreat as people sojourned from the ancient capital.
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Arashiyama provides the ultimate viewing spot to enjoy the fully grown, turning maples.
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Togetsukyo Bridge welcomes visitors worldwide for the perfect autumn stroll.
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This bridge made the maples of Arashiyama famous and afforded enjoyment for all.
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Over the last 1,000 years, people have created a culture and ways to appreciate the colors.
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I think this is the secret of the beauty of Arashiyama’s maples.
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This folding screen created some 450 years ago depicts the landmarks of Kyoto.
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Togetsukyo Bridge is featured with people enjoying the autumnal scenery.
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Traveling to view the foliage is a universal pleasure, and Arashiyama provides a next level experience.
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People are also coming up with new ways to enjoy the autumn colors.
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One is nightly illumination events.
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The branches of 300 or so maples seem to be hovering in the darkness.
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Hogon-in, a sub-temple of Tenryu-ji, was founded in 1461.
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Every fall, it hosts a maple illumination event.
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The 12-thousand-square-meter garden was created incorporating the natural topography of what was once a dry riverbed.
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This annual event was conceived around the theme of “finding time to reflect on one’s life in the darkness.”
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We want people to walk through the entire garden, noticing things as they go.
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Once they find a spot they like, we want them to take a moment and return to themselves.
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So, with the sounds of the breeze in the trees, the insects, the flowing water –
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we want them to sense everything and appreciate it slowly.
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We want people to become one with the garden and find peace.
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One man has come up with a unique way to enjoy the colors.
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Okuda Yusai runs a gallery in the same location as his dye workshop.
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When an incandescent lightbulb shines on this kimono, the maples turn from purple to red.
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Okuda researches ancient dyeing techniques and is reviving them.
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Here, visitors can enjoy the distinct autumn hues as only an artist who works with colors could convey.
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The windows in this room allow a splendid view of the foliage.
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In front of them are lacquered tables.
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They are positioned so the turning leaves are reflected on their surfaces;
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thus, creating a magical effect throughout the room.
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Over the course of about 10 days, the green maple leaves turn a deep red, then drop.
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It’s a dramatic 10 days.
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Japanese are very moved by this scene and treasure it.
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I want people to throw away logic and blend into the setting, and feel it with all their senses.
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Okuda has another, interactive illusion outside for visitors to enjoy.
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The trees shimmer on the surface of this large, brimming receptacle, which acts like a “water mirror.”
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Visitors use a brush to drip water into the receptacle.
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The brief moment the waves ripple across the surface enhances the concept of the transience of time.
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The Japanese sense of beauty is not about perceiving a single point.
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It is more about enjoying the various effects of time and space –
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such as the breeze or light.
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It’s interesting that we’re always looking for a harmonious connection with nature.
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The turn of colors in autumn has inspired culture in various ways.
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The maples are marvelous, so I want to express this brocade-like view and the waterfront.
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Uemura Kenji makes time to enjoy the Saga-Arashiyama scenery when he needs inspiration.
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This heritage business, where he is the chief confectioner, has a history of over a century.
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Come autumn, the store offers a variety of traditional confections to mimic the season.
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Uemura is working on a confection that will bring the autumnal Saga-Arashiyama setting to life.
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My greatest joy is symbolically representing various elements in one 50-gram traditional sweet.
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I want people to enjoy the shape, color, and every part as a condensed version of fall.
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As a trial run, Uemura prepares a dough of bean paste, flour, sugar and other ingredients,
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then divides it into four balls of differing colors.
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I’ll attempt to reimagine the mountains I saw as a brocade, like this.
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He breaks the four balls into chunks and randomly bunches them together.
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He then rolls this out to resemble patchwork.
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Next, he makes a blue agar and pours it over the triangles of dough, allowing it to set.
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Now, he blends white and black sesame into bean paste to depict the riverbed.
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To finish the sweet, he wraps the log in the dough slabs.
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The mountain and river in fall.
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Each season, Uemura eagerly takes up the challenge to conceive an original sweet to please his customers.
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I’ve succeeded in creating a sleek, eye-pleasing sweet.
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I hope customers imagine that Arashiyama scene as they gaze at this confection.
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Fall foliage has also had an impact on the way of tea.
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Chiba Keiko and her daughter, Yoshimi run a school in Saga-Arashiyama where they teach the way of tea in the “Omotesenke” tradition.
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The seasons play a vital role in the way of tea from the utensils used to the room decorations.
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The natural scenery spills into the room.
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The tea bowls they are using on this day bear a turning maple leaf motif.
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Fall equals maples, so we use utensils with that motif –
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for the guests to feel like they’re enjoying time outside.
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So, I take care to choose utensils showing maples.
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Chiba and her daughter have a wide range of utensils and items at their disposal to suit the season.
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These utensils, however, are not used when the fall maples are at their peak,
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but around a month before when the leaves are still green.
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At the height of fall, the maples create a stunning world.
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In tea circles, we stir up excitement in anticipation of the autumn colors –
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as we serve guests and enjoy the moment together.
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That is why we use utensils ahead of the season.
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This anticipation of seasonal beauty can be found in other cultural pastimes as well,
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and it heightens the participants’ sensitivity to the change of seasons.
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These people are climbing Mt. Ogura in Saga-Arashiyama, which is well-known for its fall colors.
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They belong to the Society for the Protection of Scenic Mt. Ogura,
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a local volunteer group that works to conserve the mountain and its autumnal beauty for future generations.
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The chair is Nagao Kenyu, the chief priest of Jojakko-ji, which stands at the foot of the mountain.
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Mt. Ogura was originally covered in pine trees.
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The group wants to return the mountain to its original state,
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so they do maintenance work once a month.
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On this day, the members are clearing the undergrowth around pines that they planted.
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We want the pines to grow, so the undergrowth needs to be cleared.
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Pines are sun-loving, so the leaves are spaced out to allow in the sunlight they need to grow.
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Therefore, come summer, the leaves act like a screen –
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so only about 70% of the sunshine reaches the maples growing under the pines.
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And that amount of sunlight is just right for the maples.
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Once, when Mt. Ogura had many pines growing on its slopes,
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it was the perfect environment for maples and other low trees to grow.
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The pines were later overtaken by broadleaf evergreens, and less sunlight reached the maples, thus stunting their growth.
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Back in the day, people would cut down trees in mountains for fuel and building purposes.
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However, as lifestyles modernized, they stopped going into the mountains.
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In the 1970s, the pines on Mt. Ogura became infested with pests and died, and shady, broad-leafed evergreens took over.
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Nagao and the other volunteers hope that they can protect the mountain’s beautiful fall scenery by increasing the number of pines.
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Mt. Ogura has been famous for its naturally growing maples for 1,000 years.
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I think it’s our duty to do what we can to pass on this environment to future generations.
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Therefore, everyone cooperates and works hard every month to clear the undergrowth.
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The autumn foliage of Saga-Arashiyama has fascinated people since time immemorial.
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Living in close proximity to nature in this area
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has inspired them to incorporate seasonal themes and motifs into their lives and culture.
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The beauty of the colors as the leaves turn will continue to attract visitors to the area for years to come.
AloJapan.com