Fall Leaves

The weekend before last we traveled to Ohara, a small town to the north of Kyoto to enjoy the fall foliage. Since the color-changing was delayed this year due to the extra hot, extra long summer, the crowds were out in full force to enjoy the new hues before the leaves fall.

Ohara is home to Sanzen-in Temple, one of the most famous Tendai Monzeki temples in Japan. This means that the chief priest of the temple was a member of the imperial family. Even more wonderful than the temple's Buddhist chanting or famous Amitabha Trinity (beautiful golden statues) are the magnificent gardens filled with moss, Japanese cedars and maple trees. In the fall, Ohara is a must see! The town is also home to several onsens, or hot springs, that we hope to have the chance to visit.

Along the path between the bus station and the entrance to Sanzen-in were several restaurants, cafés and little shops selling all sorts of goodies. We bought some amazing homemade jams in unique flavors like pumpkin, lemon and apple. Yum! We also got to try several types of senbei, or rice crackers/cookies. The ginger-glazed senbei were our favorites. It was fun to talk with the vendors and ask them what each treat was called in Japanese. One woman was very excited to see us writing down the name to her cookies in hiragana.