Nature – Page 10 – Roving Sun

November 28, 2023March 24, 2025

Braving the Hordes at Tofuku-ji and Kiyomizu-dera

We headed out in the morning from the Hyatt Place Kyoto for quick walk through a tiny part of Kyoto Gyoen on the way to breakfast. After eating, we visited Tofuku-ji, one of Kyoto’s most well known fall foliage viewing sites. It was crazy! And because we didn’t quite get enough madness, we headed back to Kiyomizu-dera for the nighttime illumination which was absolutely ridiculous! But quite beautiful and absolutely worth the trouble!

November 27, 2023March 24, 2025

Daytime Kiyomizu-dera and Evening Kodai-ji

We ended up waking up early at the Hyatt Place Kyoto and headed out to Kiyomizu-dera, hoping to beat the crowds. We were successful but the morning light wasn’t great due to the proximity of the mountains. We ended up visiting three times throughout the day hoping for better light! Later, in the afternoon, we walked over to Kodai-ji and stayed for their nighttime fall illumination event.

November 26, 2023May 10, 2024

Koraku-en and the Meiji Jingu Inner Garden

After breakfast, we checked out of the Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo, dropped off our bags at Shinagawa Station, and headed to Koraku-en, a garden near Ueno. After walking through the garden, we had lunch nearby and then visited the Meiji Jingu‘s inner garden. We then had an afternoon snack in Omotesando before taking the Shinkansen to Kyoto where we checked into the Hyatt Place Kyoto.

November 4, 2023November 13, 2023

Cheese and a Castle in Gruyères

We headed out in the morning to Gruyères, home of Switzerland’s Gruyère cheese. As the forecast was calling for rain in the afternoon, we first headed to the castle atop a small hill near the small town. After exploring the castle and having lunch in a nearby restaurant, we returned to town to check out the Gruyère cheese museum and shop.

October 28, 2023October 30, 2023

Fall Foliage at Catoctin Mountain Park

When we last visited Catoctin Mountain Park, it seemed that peak fall colors would probably occur in a week. So, we headed out there again today. The best colors seemed to be at medium elevations and particularly on the eastern side of the park.