When autumn comes in Japan, we see a catchword on a Shinkansen poster of Central JR Company every year. To my surprise, the catchword remains unchanged for the past 20 years.

Now it’s autumn…
Well, let’s go to Kyoto!

Central JR Company has introduced more than 70 shrines and temples in Kyoto over the 20 years through the Shinkansen posters. The colorful scenery in Kyoto depicted on the posters has quite a lot of impact, which catches people’s eyes instantly. You can archive the old posters from the campaign page of Central JR Company. The poster of 2013 displays the grandeur scenery of tinted autumnal leaves in Nanzenji. http://souda-kyoto.jp/campaign/archives.html

Cited from Central JR Company: http://souda-kyoto.jp/20th/index.html

In fact, it is so mysterious but seeing this poster and reading the catchword incline us, Japanese people to go to Kyoto for no reason, where we can visit temples and enjoy delicate traditional Kyoto cuisine.

Although the leaves have not been tinted enough yet, I stayed in Kyoto in October to enjoy the autumn season one step ahead. I also went to the exhibition of MARUYAMA Okyo, held in a museum belonged to a conservative temple of the Zen sect called Shokokuji.

Shokokuji was built in 1392 by ASHIKAGA Yoshimitsu, the third Shogun of Muromachi period. The words “shokoku” means to save and govern the country, which came from the old China. Also in Japan, the same words “shokoku” was used to refer a position of Sadaijin, Minister of the left and because ASHIKAGA Yoshimitsu held the very position, the temple was named so.

MARUYAMA Okyo was a painter worked during the middle of Edo period. The exhibition displayed all his major masterpieces between 1750 and 1795 when he died. The Kujaku-botan-zu (Peacocks and Peonies) on the flyer is one of his works. There were also pieces of works done by his students. They were all full of vigor and painted freely.

During my visit, I took a video of the garden so I can share the scenery and you can imagine being in the temple.