Falling for the colors of Japan

When I stepped off the train in Kyoto I emerged into an explosion of fall colors. Fall is my favorite season and having been away for the past 2 fall seasons has left a hole in my heart. That void was filled in 3 days in Kyoto. I felt like I was dreaming, having just spent 3 months traveling to mostly hot tropic climates to all of a sudden appear in this land of colorful trees and cool air. I could not have been in better company to enjoy the fall than with the Japanese. We arrived on a holiday weekend and crowds of people from all over Japan flocked to Kyoto to spend their holiday enjoying the foliage. As part of the fall celebrations select Temples in Kyoto set up lights to view the maple trees at night. Each night I was in Kyoto I went to a different Temple to see the bright red and orange leaves light up the night.