Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Illumination 2025

Enjoying the lit up splendour of autumn foliage

Jaime Wong Jun 22, 2016 - 1 min read

The lit up autumn leaves makes it look as if Kiyomizudera sits in a sea of fire

Mid - Late

Nov

The lit up autumn leaves makes it look as if Kiyomizudera sits in a sea of fire (The lit up autumn leaves makes it look as if Kiyomizudera sits in a sea of fire (Photo: Jaime Wong))

Venue : Kiyomizu-dera Temple When : Mid - Late Nov 2025

Kiyomizu-dera is without a doubt one of Kyoto's most famous temples. As a result of it being one of the most popular tourist destinations, it is often crowded with people. However, the autumn foliage light up nights are worth going to despite the crowds. The iconic view of the wooden temple sitting amongst a sea of lit up autumn leaves is beautiful, and walking under lit up maple leaves at night gives a much different atmosphere and experience than walking under them during the day.

My only warning is to definitely be prepared for crowds!

More info

Find out more about Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Jaime Wong @jaime.wong

I love Japan for its people, culture, food, scenery, and overall ambiance and never-ending list of things to explore and enjoy. I lived in Kyoto for one year as an exchange student, and was able to travel around various parts of Japan during that exchange time. Now I'm back in Auckland, NZ, but a...