After a beautiful cherry blossoms season, things slow down a bit and all is quiet for a while. Then, we usually have the Aoi Matsuri, the third-largest festival taking place in Kyoto. Unfortunately, this year, this festival didn’t take place, it got canceled. Anyway, right after this, around the middle of the month of May, is the perfect time to look around the temples and the mountains for the maple trees having new leaves. This is a beautiful period with incredibly strong greens on the maple trees with their new leaves, all around Kyoto.
There is always a lot of rain during the spring, but it can add to the beauty of the places. Here, the “Shokin-tei”, one of the tea houses within the garden of the Katsura Rikyu Imperial Villa, Kyoto
In November, the Tsutenkyo Bridge in the Tofuku-ji Temple is without any doubt one of the best spots in town to enjoy the famous fall foliage colors. And therefore, it is obvious that during the “Ao Momiji” period around mid-May, the same spot is amazing with so much green around. Tofuku-ji Temple, Kyoto
Because May used to be a slow month with fewer tourists, it has always been a quiet and pleasant month. For us, it was the perfect time to try to get a place to visit one of the imperial villas around Kyoto. Here’s one of the gardens of the Shugaku-in, Imperial Villa, Kyoto
And while walking around the city, it is always pleasant to encounter a newly married couple busy have their photos taking around the scenic spots. I wish them the best!
I have selected a few old and new photographs capturing “Ao Momiji” scenes for the May Photos Exhibition. You can see these photos in full-screen display and slideshow presentation here
Click on any of the thumbnails to access the full-screen display and slideshow.
