Shinnyo-do Temple famous for autumn leaves is wrapped with fragrant flowers such as bush clovers and cotton roses before that.
Shinnyo-do Temple in early autumn.
Spider lilies and rice fields in Ohara at harvest.
This spider lily (cluster amaryllis) is called “Equinox Flower” as alias.
They bloom all at once in countryside of Japan around the autumnal equinox.
And this is the moment that we as a Japanese feel autumn has come.
Lotus in Tofukuji Temmple
The Sanmon Gate (Main gate) and Lotus.
The Sanmon gate, a National Treaure, is the oldest and most outstanding Zen main gate in Japan.
The main hall where the dragon lives on its ceiling.
Take a look inside the main hall. The dragon at the ceiling will surely glare at you.
Late bloom lotus at Osawa pond of Daikakuji Temple.
The Osawa pond of Daikakuji is now a lotus paradise.
Osawa Pond
Purple chrysanthemum at “Kuta” area.
Here is the northernmost part of Kyoto city.
(Sorry, it is a very difficult remote region for tourists to visit.)
This beautiful purple chrysanthemum, which was named “Kitayama Yuzen Kiku”, is a native species in this area and is now protected and brought up like this. And it is best time to see from late July to August.
Where the pictures were shot.
Light Festival at Shimogamo Jinja Shrine.
After the solemn "Daimonji Bon Fire", a colorful evening event has come to Shimogamo Shrine. Aug 17 - Sep 02, 2018.
The pics below are shot in 2016.
Under summer sky cotton roses brilliantly bloom.
Flowers of from summer to autumn. And they are one day’s flower that bloom in the morning and shrink in the evening. As named “Hibiscus mutabilis” as binomial name, they are kind of hibiscuses.
Rokusai Nenbutsu at Mibudera Temple.
Rokusai Nenbutsu is a folklore dance as playing chant music by flutes and drums, handbells.
Often it is dedicated to the Bon Festival.
The acrobatic scenes.
Some of the performances are rather acrobatic and especially the battle scene of "Spider-devil" and "Shishi" (a mythical beast as imaged the lion) being used the gimmick of spider's thread is very exciting.
Mibudera Temple
Senbon Enmado (Injo-ji Temple)
The stone bridge with lotus at Otani Hombyo.
How beautiful this cobblestone is! This walk pass leads to Otani Hombyo. Moreover under this there is a pond where lotus is blooming. And you will see a wonderful eyeglasses shaped bridge is crossing over.
Very close to Kiyomizudera Temple
This place is very close to Kiyomizudera Temple where the most of Kyoto visitors coming to. So be careful as some people wrongly visit here instead of Kiyomizudera Temple. But in that case you may be lucky because you have gotten such a nice local spot.
Otani Hombyo is the mausoleum.
It dedicated to Shinran Shonin (1173-1263), the founder of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition. This mausoleum is also the beginning of Hongawanji which is the headquarters of the Jodo Shinshu Hongawanji-ha Buddhist school.
And behind here, on the hill, the largest graveyard in Kyoto that has called “Toribeno” since ancient times spread.
The summer in Japan is very very hot and noisy with cicadas.
Noisy Cicadas
If you have experienced a hot summer in Japan, you will remember this noisy cicada. So this sound essential in the summer of Japan. Especially this sound belongs to Black cicadas that can listen in western Japan including Kyoto.
They hide in the bark like Ninja.
But will be exposed immediately as crowing.
