Kodai-ji Temple

Came here for the night illumination on the third week of november and it was amazing. My boyfriend and I got here at around 5.45pm and the line was all the way to the bottom of the stairs, but it moved pretty quickly (total wait was about 20 mins). For 600 yen, this was way above my expectation.
Plenty of fall foliage, a mini bamboo grove and cool light show.
A feast for my camera, that’s for sure :)

Located between Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizudera, Kodai-​ji is a beautiful site, especially in the fall for autumn colors/​koyo. During the third weekend of November, I went to Kodai-​ji with some friends to see the light-​up display, which was my first light-​up for autumn colors.
I arrived at the site around 5pm, and was told to wait in a line, which took about 30 minutes to get to the ticketing area. What is interesting is that I beat the rush. Within 15 minutes, it started getting way packed, and by the time we left, the wait was about 2 – 3 hours!
The light-​up, though, was well worth our 30 min wait and ￥600 entrance fee. The green, orange, and red colors that seem to glow in the night are a fantastic sight to behold, and it feels like you are in a magical land or theme park almost. Pictures don’t do it justice (also because it is dark, so they get blurry without steady hands or a tripod). There is a route to take that goes through the Zen temples (there is a spot to take off your shoes), passes by a light-​up parasol display, followed by a really cool pond that reflects the fall trees beautifully, a walk through the bamboo forest, and a dragon head statue.
Be sure to get tickets early (and have a camera with fast shutter speed!)

Perfect location, variety of temples and shrines nearby, and loads of souvenir shopping
It’s said there are around 1,600 Buddhist temples in Kyoto. Whew! How do you decide which to visit? :) Well, we selected a few based on location and how we could best combine them with surrounding activities. Kodai-​ji Temple is a great site to explore, learn about Buddhism, and then head either towards Yasaka Shrine to learn about Shintoism, OR the other direction to get your fill of souvenir shopping (Sannenzaka Ninenzaka) before visiting Kiyomizu-​dera Temple, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
A fun challenge throughout the nearby streets is to find and touch several Buddhist statues to earn merit. Look for the pink signs. It’s fun and educational for both young and adult kids alike!

Known as a temple established by Kitano Mandokoro, who became a nun after her husband, Hideyoshi Toyotomi passed away, and worshipped the departed soul of him.
It has a vast ground consisting of Buddhist halls or gardens. During the autumn leaves viewing season and cherry blossom viewing season, the whole hilly pond gardens are illuminated at night. I heard it was so mysterious and fantastic that it was overcrowded with viewers and there was a long line in front of the wicket. So purchasing tickets during daytime is advisable! It was a pity that I visited here in early summer.
I enjoyed seeing lacquer wares or ornaments and strolling around the precincts with small halls, or tea houses spotted.

Kodaiji is one of my favorite temples for 3 reasons.
1. Nice view
In Kodaiji there is a hill that has a Shiguretei. This building was established in order to see Osaka for Nene, the wife of Toyotomi-​Hideyoshi. Toyotomi-​Hideyoshi was the warrior during the 15^th century who made the foundation for unifying Japan. Therefore you will have a good view from this Shiguretei.
2. Uniqueness
For example, Kodaiji has a dragon head made by Kawara (tile of roofs for traditional house in Japan). I never seen such thing except for Kodaiji. Also, in some season you could enjoy both day and night. The light up of Kodaiji is breath taking during the begining of summer.
3. Sign of love
As I mentioned before, Kodaiji was built by Nene, she dedicated this temple for her sadness of losing her be loved husband and the great warrior. You will able to see some elements of how much she loved her husband and was trying her best to see him. The Shiguretei is one of it, as she built it in order to make sure that she will be able to see the castle he built (osaka castle).