Hoto Fudo, Kawaguchiko Kita | Review by Norton Liang

A popular spot during fall foliage season 🍁, although we didn’t make it for the fall colors 🍁
In early autumn, we took the Eizan train up the mountain. The scenery and air along the way were so refreshing. Although the crowds made it hard to fully appreciate the beautiful changes in light at the mirrored glass table area 😊, the photo opportunities and the Japanese garden aesthetics with lush green moss along the way made us forget all our worries! Worth a visit.

Kyoto Station Building is great for shopping and photos 🏢
The modern steel architecture doesn't clash at all with this ancient capital!
Taking a photo with Kyoto Tower is also a ritual for travelers.
Saying hello and goodbye to Kyoto 👋

Because the protagonist of Yukio Mishima's novel sees Kinkaku-ji as a symbol of eternal beauty, yet his own imperfect life makes him feel a mix of love, hatred, jealousy, and confinement toward this perfection, he ultimately decides to set Kinkaku-ji on fire to free his soul.
So I came to see it for myself:

At the center of the strolling garden surrounded by Kyokochi Pond, on a clear, windless day, you can capture the stunning reflection of the Golden Pavilion mirrored on the water.
Nearby is the Rikushu-no-Matsu pine: (a 600-year-old Japanese white pine said to have been planted by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu himself and pruned into the shape of a sailboat.)
It further enhances the dazzling Japanese garden aesthetic and is worth seeing.