Tofuku-ji is one of the best places if not the best place in Kyoto to view Autumn leaves. I visited several years ago in Spring and had found it to be beautiful in that season as well with all the lush green Japanese maple trees (momiji). It was a very short ride from Fushimi Inari Station to Tofukuji station and not a long walk from the station to the shrine.

During my walk from the station I found a school with some really fun statues out front and could not resist taking some pictures.

I pretty much just followed the heard of people. Tsuten-kyo bridge was the first part of the temple that I noticed as I approached. There were a lot of people posing for photos and admiring the wonderful timeless architecture of the bridge. It was one of the things that stood out in my mind most from my previous trip as well. The wooden bridge really has such style.

I am not sure what it was but I felt a little disoriented walking around Tofuku-ji. I just sort of meandered around in no particular direction. I am pretty sure that I missed a lot which is a shame but what I did see was really outstanding. Though Tsuten-kyo is my favorite part of Tofuku-ji the zen garden Kaizando Hall is also just beautiful. This area is a must see. I sat there about 15 minutes just soaking in the atmosphere.

There are a number of paths that take you around the complex and bring you amongst the momiji trees. The air was just so clean and fresh smelling I really felt energized as I took my time walking the pathways.

After walking around I headed back to the same station. On the way I saw a sign for another small temple so I popped in. There was nobody else there. The garden was really lovely. I felt I found a little hidden treasure.

After taking a few photos and enjoying the peaceful area I headed onto my next destination Kyoto Station.