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It snowed today in Kyoto city, the heaviest snow I've seen since living here, and I ended my all-day snow tour here at Kurama-dera (temple). Located in the mountains north of Kyoto city, and has unusual guardian statues: tigers, which is making it a popular destination since 2022 is the Year of the Tiger.

Although a light snow fell in southern Kyoto, the mountains to the north got a nice fluffy blanket overnight. This morning, the red lanterns and tree branches lining the stone steps to Kifune Shrine were capped with snow, making an attractive scene for photographers (and me).

Tenjuan is a subtemple of Nanzenji, and the koi pond here is one of the best in the city. The garden's reflection in the still water, with the koi seeming to float among the trees, inspired me to paint.

This small temple features a very charming thatched roof gate. It is truly a sight to behold in the late afternoon: the maple leaves glowing in those golden hour sunbeams... but that beautiful light fades so quickly.

The enormous ginkgo at Nishi Honganji (temple) caught my eye last year and I vowed to return to sketch it. What a beauty, right?

Just outside the gate of Imamiya Shrine, there are two very old teahouses serving a delicious specialty unique to this area: aburimochi.

A gigantic, majestic ginkgo at a shrine in the mountains northwest of Kyoto city in mid-November. The red torii gate against the golden yellow leaves was spectacular. I had much less time than expected at this shrine due to the bus there running late, so although I managed to rush most of the way through my sketch, I had to touch it up and photograph it later at a different location. (It was that or wait another 1.5 hours for the next one...!)

This iconic view of Mount Fuji is a relatively new one. The Chureito Pagoda was built in the 1960s and the vantage points nearby offer spectacular scenery, including unobstructed views of Mount Fuji itself. This sketch was done at sunset so I had to work very quickly in the rapidly changing and fading light.

Mt. Fuji through the maple leaves just after sunrise, as seen from the shores of Kawaguchiko, one of the five lakes at the foot of Mt. Fuji.

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