We’re very fortunate to be quite near one of the city autumn’s most beautiful temples, Tofuku-Ji.
Tofukuji (東福寺) is a large Zen temple located less than 10 minutes on foot from the Tofukuji Samurai Machiya, in southeastern Kyoto. It is particularly famous for its spectacular autumn colors and people come from all over Japan to see Tofukuji’s autumn colors. The most popular view is of the Tsutenkyo Bridge, which spans a valley of lush maple trees. The view from the bridge is equally spectacular, and the 100-meter-long, covered walkway becomes extremely crowded when the colors reach their peak, usually around mid to late November.
The temple was founded in 1236 at the behest of the powerful Fujiwara clan. Tofukuji has historically been one of the principal Zen temples in Kyoto and is the head temple of one of the schools of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism.
Once in a while, some sub-temples or gardens are open to the public for a little while. In November, we were lucky to be able to visit the Ryogin-An Temple. The western garden is called Ryogin-tei, which means something like “Dragon Chanting Garden”. The three large stones in the middle depict the head of a dragon and the other stones are its coiled body protruding from the cloud.
We usually combine a visit of this Temple with the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine which is a little further down the same road.
You will find more information about this temple by visiting its website: Click Here
