Kyoto Maple and Ginkgo Viewing: 8 Must-Visit Spots Recommended by a Kyoto Travel Expert

Photo and text byKavan

Editor's note: As autumn arrives, it’s the season for maple viewing. In Japan, Kyoto sees a surge of visitors in late November every year, all drawn to the fiery beauty of the maple leaves. Blogger Kavan, who has visited over a hundred maple spots in Kyoto, not only compiled a comprehensive guide to Kyoto's maple and ginkgo viewing (see full article), but also recommended 8 must-visit maple and ginkgo spots. ETtoday Eastday Travel Cloud has summarized the key points from the article for readers who love autumn foliage.

Eikando

There are so many maple-viewing spots in Kyoto, but Eikando can be called the king of them all in Kyoto’s maple scene — it’s known as the “Maple Temple”! I visited in February this year, and even the winter scenery around Eikando’s pond hints at how stunning it must be during the maple season. That’s why Eikando is my most anticipated maple spot. (See full article: <2012 Maple Diary> Eikando Night Maple – So Beautiful It Stuns the Soul.)

Visit date: November 19, 2012 — Recommended, a must-see place !
Historical peak foliage period: Mid-November to late November
A must-visit spot ! Both daytime and nighttime foliage are beautiful, but I recommend the night view !
Visiting hours: 09:00–17:00 (last entry at 16:00)
Admission fee: 600 yen on weekdays, 1000 yen during the maple season (Nov 8 – Dec 4)
Night maple hours: November 8 – December 4, 2014, 17:30–20:30 (gates close at 21:00)
Night maple admission: 600 yen
Transportation:

Take City Bus No. 5 and get off at “Nanzenji-Eikando-mae”

(Tripods and monopods are not allowed) Tofuku-ji Kyoto has many famous maple-viewing spots, but I think the most renowned are undoubtedly “Tofuku-ji” and “Eikando”. If you don’t have enough time to visit all of Kyoto’s famous maple spots, then I highly recommend these two: Tofuku-ji and Eikando. (

See full article: “2012 Kyoto Maple Leaves” — The King of Kyoto Maple Leaves “Tofuku-ji”
)
Visit date: November 28, 2012 — Recommended, a must-see place !
Historical peak foliage period: Mid-November to late November
Visiting hours:
November to early December (maple season)
8:30–16:30 (ticket sales end at 16:00)
Kyoto City Buses: Take buses 202, 207, or 208 and get off at the "Tōfukuji" bus stop.

Horikawa Ginkgo Avenue

Horikawa-dori, just north of the intersection with Imadegawa-dori, features a whole row of beautiful ginkgo trees. When I passed through here last month, the ginkgos were lush green and already spectacular. I remember thinking how amazing they must look when they turn yellow in the fall season!(Read more: <2012 Maple Leaf Diary> Horikawa Ginkgo Avenue. A golden carpet of fallen ginkgo leaves.)

Date of visit: November 16, 2012 – Recommended, a must-see spot.
If you want to see ginkgo trees, this is the area with the highest density of them in downtown Kyoto.
Visit time: Free access
Admission: Free
Location: The ginkgo trees line Horikawa-dori from Imadegawa-dori to Shiomitsu-dori. You can reach them by walking north from Seimei Shrine.
Transportation: Take a bus and get off at the "Horikawa-Imadegawa" stop.

Tō-ji (East) / SAI-ji (West) Temples’ Ginkgo Trees

In addition to flaming red maple leaves during the autumn foliage season, another must-see is the bright yellow-orange ginkgo. Kyoto has many streets lined with ginkgo trees, such as Higashi-oji-dori near Kyoto University, and the area north of the intersection of Horikawa-dori and Imadegawa-dori that boasts a full row of beautiful ginkgos. But if we’re talking about the most impressive individual ginkgo, then it has to be the huge “Genki-dama” ginkgo at Tō-ji (Western Temple)! (Read more: “2012 Kyoto Maple Leaves” Tō-ji & SAI-ji Temples. The awesome presence of massive ginkgos.)

Date of visit: December 2, 2012 – Recommended, a must-see spot.
Historical peak viewing period: Mid-November to early December
The super huge Genki-dama ginkgo is right at SAI-ji (Western Temple)!
Visit time: Free access within temple grounds
Admission: Free
Transportation:
City bus – Get off at “Tō-ji-mae” stop

Daigo-ji Temple

Kyoto has countless shrines and temples, many of which I’ve visited multiple times. If we only count paid attractions, then Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji are the ones I’ve been to the most. I’ve collected almost two full sets of Kiyomizu-dera tickets (which change design by season), plus two night admission tickets — and the ticket stub from Kinkaku-ji makes me joke that I could change my name to Lam Ching-ying, because even if a horde of zombies attacked, I wouldn’t be afraid (the Kinkaku-ji ticket is shaped like an amulet). (Read more: “2012 Kyoto Maple Leaves” Daigo-ji: Also a cherry blossom spot and a top maple-viewing destination.)

Date of visit: November 29, 2012 – Recommended, a must-see spot.
Historical peak viewing period: Mid-November to late November
Visit time:
March to first Sunday of December: 9:00–17:00
(Ticket sales end at 16:30)
December 1st Monday ~ February 9:00~16:00
(Ticket sales end at 15:30)
Admission fees:
Sanpoin Temple / Garan (Upper Daigo) / Hokyo-kan Museum
600 yen for high school students / 300 yen for elementary school students and below / Free for children
Transportation:
Keihan Bus – Get off at Daigo Sanpoin
Subway – Get off at Daigo Station and walk 10 minutes

k Feature Plate

Last year I saw the famous Kyoto maple leaf spots photographed by well-known writer “Rula,” and the most unforgettable maple spot among them—the one introduced in this article—is “kYanchenpanman”.This place is quite different from other popular spots; when the maple leaves here are at their best, it’s not just the vast expanses of red foliage that captivate you, but also the uniquely charming atmosphere during quieter, less crowded moments. (Read more: 2012 Kyoto Maple Leaves: “A Carpet of Crimson.” Yamashina’s “kYanchenpanman” /span>.)
 

Date of visit: November 29, 2012 – Recommended, a must-see!

kYanchenpanmaoweiweishidou
Visiting hours: 8:30~17:00 (Ticket sales end at 16:30)
Admission fees (only for indoor areas): 500 yen