Autumn leaves in Jyuhuku-ji temple

I saw the bright autumnal leaves sparkling over the path leading to the small Buddha hall of this temple.

The clear rays of sunshine falling down through the interlocking branches of trees brought a breathtaking moment of beauty to the stillness of this modest temple.

Fallen leaves in Jyuhuku-ji temple

The fallen leaves are inconspicuously beginning to turn to soil.

Autumn leaves in Genji-yama park

Late autumn leaves in pointillism.

Tsubaki (camellia) flowers in Genji-yama park

Fern in Genji-yama park

The winter sunlight was delightedly playing in the green fern leaves.

Hydrangea flowers in Genji-yama park

The dried flowers of Hydrangea were stealthily displaying a beautiful vestige of last summer.

Tsubaki (camellia) flowers in Genji-yama park

The gold dust of pollen was scattered on the vivid red petals of the flower.

Yatsude (Fatsia japonica) flowers in Genji-yama park

The elaborate flower cluster of Yatsude reminded me of a celestial globe.

Autumn leaves in Genji-yama park

This scene recalled me to the old beautiful ballad entitled "Autumn Leaves."

The Butsuden (main hall) of Kencho-ji temple

Camelia flowers in Kencho-ji temple

The garden of Kencho-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Kencho-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Kencho-ji temple

I found these remaining autumnal leaves being affectionately illuminated by sunlight.

It seemed that the tender sunlight were unwilling to part from the leaves which would go away soon.

Zen monks in Kencho-ji temple

Zen monks walk with firm and steady steps.

A bamboo grove in Kencho-ji temple

Fallen leaves in Tokei-ji temple

It seemed to me that autumn had just gone away along this quiet passage leaving its graceful traces behind.

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

The dainty colors and forms of autumnal leaves impressed me indelibly.

A Shaka-nyorai statue in Tokei-ji temple

A Shaka-nyorai statue is serenely sitting in the eternal silence of enlightenment. The ground and rock around this statue are beautifully covered over with the vivid yellow fallen leaves of ginkgo trees.

In the small hollow of the mossed rock behind this Buddha statue, the gravestone of Soyen Shaku (1859-1919) is secretly enshrined.

Soyen Shaku was one of the most excellent zen masters of Rinzai school and the chief administrator of the Kencho-ji sect at that time. He was the first zen teacher to introduce Zen Buddhism into the United States.

D.T.Suzuki, who is also buried in the graveyard of Tokei-ji, is one of the prominent disciples of this great mentor of zen.

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

The bright sunbeam wove through the trees and brilliantly illuminated the autumn leaves for an instant.

Fallen leaves in Tokei-ji temple

The ground around the foundation stone of the lost Buddha hall was thickly blanketed with the fallen leaves of maple.

Fallen leaves in Jochi-ji temple

The bell tower of Jochi-ji temple

The bell tower and the "Byakusin" (Juniper) trees were exposed to the dazzling sunlight of the late afternoon.

A Byakusin tree is symbolic of the zen discipline and is found in every zen garden of Kamakura. This evergreen tree is believed to keep its greenness without withering and grow persistently without stopping.

Fallen leaves in Jochi-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Engaku-ji temple

The garden of Engaku-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Engaku-ji temple

Fallen leaves in Engaku-ji temple

Daffodil flowers in Engaku-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Engaku-ji temple

The autumnal garden of Engaku-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

On a cloudy afternoon I visited Tokei-ji temple to see the long-awaited flamboyant colors of autumnal leaves.

The cloudy sky cast a pale sunlight on the transitory colorful leaves and added a feeling of subtle melancholy to the enchanting garden of early winter.

An Ume (Japanese apricot) tree in Tokei-ji temple

The squirming branches of the aged "Ume" tree made me sense the gentle and firm energy of this tree.

The Ume trees in this garden are quietly awaiting the coming of next spring, for blooming vigorously and rapturously again in the season of growth.

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Autumn leaves in Tokei-ji temple

Momiji (Acer japonicum) leaves in Tsurugaoka-hatchimangu shrine

Autumn leaves reveal their crowning beauty just as they are about to fall.

The garden of Tokei-ji temple

A stone image of Buddha in Jyochi-ji temple

In the profound stillness of the temple, the weathered and mossed stones are sitting still and time is calmly and mercifully passing by.

Manryo (Ardisia swartz) in Jochi-ji temple

Momiji (Acer japonicum) leaves in Tsurugaoka-hatchimangu shrine

An autumn leaf in Jochi-ji temple

I saw a beautiful autumn leaf lying still on the web of thin green twigs.

The autumn, which was going away step by step from the garden, showed me this delicate and pleasant combination of colors as its elegant fond farewell.

Yatsude (Fatsia japonica) in Engaku-ji temple

I sensed a strong and calm life force when I saw the twisted sturdy roots of the large tree and the partly yellowed leaves of Yatsude.

"Yatsude" means "a shrub having eight-fingered leaves" and the shapes of its leaves remind me of the small hands of lively children.