Photo= Visitors enjoy walking around the "Momiji-en" garden which is open to the public (November 2, Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto)

On November 2, the annual public viewing of the "Momiji-en," or maple garden, started at Kitano Tenman-gu Shrine in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto. Visitors felt the deepening autumn as reddening maple foliage shone under the balmy autumn sky.

Designated as a National Historic Site, "Odoi," or a bulwark built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, is located on the western side of the precincts. There are approximately 250 maple trees in the area, including along the Kamiya River which runs nearby, that have been opened to the public since six years ago as a new autumnal foliage site.

Although green leaves still conspicuously remain, some have just begun to turn a faint red color, such as those on a few approximately 400-year-old trees. Once the night illumination starts on November 16, the shrine will be crowded with many visitors. The event will continue until December 8. There is an entry fee.