Well, they say it’s better late than never. Last year I was lucky enough to spend one month wondering through Japan with family during the Japanese autumn. As it was our second time in Japan, we made a point to cover some ‘off the beaten path’ destinations as well as the big ticket places. Here’s some highlights.
First up, we went to one of my favourite places in Japan, Fuji 5 Lakes. It’s only a couple of hours bus ride from Shinjuku station yet it is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. We were lucky enough to visit during peak autumn colours. This is a photo taken during a walk around our hotel grounds. We stayed at Fuji View Lake Hotel.
Second up – we got up early to catch the early morning light from the so-called Momiji Tunnel which overlooks Lake Kawaguchi. It was well worth the early morning start! You can’t miss the spot – just follow all the photographers.
Third up, late afternoon light at one of the many gardens dotting the Tokyo suburbs.
Fourth – don’t miss the Team Lab digital art museum in Odaiba, Tokyo. The crowds are horrendous, but the exhibits are unreal and are sure to make their way on to your instagram feed. Pictured below is the ‘Crystal World’ exhibit which goes through various colour patterns as the exhibit is played out. We decided to give the famous ‘Forest of Resonating Lamps’ exhibit a miss due to the 1 hour wait – oh well, next time!
Another exhibit at the digital art museum called ‘Weightless Forest of Resonating Life’. Most of the exhibits in this part of the museum (which is called the Athletics Forest) are interactive so even little kids will be intrigued.
Next up, we drove to the holy mountain, Mt Koya which is a few hours drive from Kyoto. We enjoyed the drive through rural Japan and up through the mountains. It’s a bit hard to get to, so if you’re visiting try and do the temple stay, where you rest, eat and meditate and pray with the monks. A wonderful experience. Pictured below is the entrance to Eko-In temple where we stayed.
Just down the road from Eko In is the entrance to the Okuno-In cemetery, which is beautifully lit up at night with lanterns.
Make sure to visit the temple complexes in Mt Koya,
A zen garden at the oldest temple complex in Mt Koya.
If you think getting up early to get on the first train to get to the bamboo forest in Arashiyama just outside Tokyo will let you get good photos, you are mistaken. It was busy even at 6 AM in the morning. However, as the temple next door opened only around 8 AM or so, I was one of the first ones in and managed to have a relatively crowd free experience. This is the Tenruji temple gardens, which as the photo shows is lovely.
