Kyoto Fall Leaves Popular Ranking! Top 3 Picks by Travel Pros
Taxi drivers are the top pros of Kyoto sightseeing.
In Kyoto, taxi drivers often guide visitors, so they are real tourism professionals.

We asked about 160 MK Taxi drivers to choose just one top autumn-leaf spot in Kyoto!
Here we show the best spots in a ranking order, based on how many votes each got.

So which place is No. 1, chosen by Kyoto’s pros?
Try to guess the results—not only No. 1, but the whole ranking!

Pre-survey: Guess the fall foliage ranking

Before the survey, the MK Media editors also tried to guess the ranking.
We used general fame, the 2011 survey of tour drivers (explained later), and similar Kyoto leaf rankings as references.

Here are the 8 predicted best spots:

Top favorites: Tofuku-ji Temple, Eikando Temple

Strong contenders: Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Tenryu-ji Temple, Takao, Nanzen-ji Temple

Dark horses: Rurikoin Temple, Seiryu-den Temple

To be honest, Tofuku-ji (famous for Tsutenkyo Bridge) and Eikando (“Eikando for maple leaves”) are likely the top two.
Even if they are not No.1–2, the other spots should also rank high.

So, what were the real survey results?
Now we will reveal the best fall-leaf ranking chosen by MK Taxi’s sightseeing drivers, who know Kyoto’s autumn very well.

Autumn Leaves Survey Results

No.1 Eikando Temple, Higashiyama Ward — 54 votes

Among Kyoto fall-foliage spots, taxi drivers chose Eikando Temple as No.1!
It got 54 votes—far ahead of others.
In short, one out of three drivers picked Eikando Temple as the best spot.

In a 2021 ranking focused on fall “light-up” (night illumination) based on taxi-driver surveys, Eikando Temple was also No.1.
So it won two crowns: foliage and foliage light-up.

Before the survey, many thought the best fall-leaf spot would be Eikando Temple or Tofuku-ji Temple, maybe Tenryu-ji Temple.
But the actual result was a big surprise.
We never imagined one spot would get such overwhelming support.

Eikando Temple: Fall Foliage Highlights

The beauty of Eikando Temple’s autumn leaves was even praised in the classic anthology Kokin Wakashu.
In Kyoto, people have long said, “In autumn, go to Eikando for maples.” It’s a very popular leaf-viewing spot.

Eikando Temple– Why it’s great？The biggest point is the number of maples. There are about 3,000 maple trees in the temple grounds—one of the most in Kyoto. Wherever you walk, it feels like you’re surrounded by maples.

The trees are cared for all year, so the color is steady each year. During the fall season, you can visit any time and still see beautiful leaves.

During the fall season, there is a night “light-up” for the leaves—highly recommended.
It’s very popular; people line up even before the gates open.
But the grounds are large, so it doesn’t get too crowded, and you can take your time to enjoy the colors.

Eikando Temple is a very popular sightseeing spot in Kyoto.
I recommend lining up about one hour before the light-up starts.
From around mid-November, the autumn leaves at Eikando are at their best, and it is a top spot recommended by taxi drivers.

As a autumn-leaves drive that you can enjoy from the car window,
the one-way north road from Nanzen-ji, passing in front of Higashiyama High School and leading to Eikando Temple(Shishigatani Street), is also ranked among the top routes.

It is also a fun road to walk,
so when you visit EikandoTemple, I recommend visiting Nanzen-ji together with it.

Recommended points from MK Taxi sightseeing drivers

• A temple that really focuses on autumn leaves. Number of trees, colors, and care are all among the best in Kyoto. (Male driver in his 30s)
• Autumn leaves that impress anyone who sees them! (Male driver in his 30s)
• A huge number of maple trees. Trees that are cared for all year strongly attract visitors. (Driver)
• Number of trees, beauty of the colors, and brightness – all are No.1. (Male driver in his 50s, Kyoto Certification Level 1)
• Of all the autumn leaves I have seen, the ones at Eikando moved me the most. (Driver)
• There are many spots with amazing views. (Driver)
• The well-colored maple leaves, the pond, and the view of Higashiyama are truly wonderful. (Male driver in his 20s)
• The colors of the leaves change each year with the weather, but every year they are beautiful and never disappoint. (Male driver in his 30s)

No. 2 Enkoji Temple (Sakyo Ward) – 8 votes

In the ranking of Kyoto autumn leaves spots recommended by taxi drivers, No. 2 is Enkoji Temple.
Before the survey, almost no one mentioned Enkoji Temple, but it beat famous autumn leaves spots like Tofukuji, Kiyomizudera, and Tenryuji, and took second place.
In this survey, the most surprising result is that Enkoji Temple came in second.

Highlights of autumn leaves at Enkoji Temple

The nice point of Enkoji Temple is that, although it is a small temple, there are many spots where the autumn leaves look beautiful.
Bright red leaves on the deep green moss in the garden make a very beautiful contrast.
You can also look for the cute small Jizo statues peeking out from the moss.

At Enkoji Temple, you can not only enjoy the autumn leaves in the garden, but also climb the hill inside the temple grounds and see a wide view of Kyoto city through the leaves.
Even though it is a small temple on the edge of Kyoto, there are many nice spots and viewpoints where the autumn leaves look beautiful, so it is a recommended place to see autumn leaves.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to Enkoji Temple during the autumn leaves season are by reservation only.
You can walk around more slowly than in past years and avoid crowded places.
From Monday, November 10, 2025 to Wednesday, December 10, 2025, you must make a reservation in advance to visit in the autumn season.
You can book online from the official website of Enkoji Temple, so please check it.

In the past, before the regular visit starting at 9:00, there was a special early-morning visit from 7:30 that needed a reservation.
From 2022, this early-morning special visit is no longer held, but the regular visiting time now starts from 8:00.

Although eight drivers chose Enkoji Temple as the best place to see autumn leaves, it has become a popular spot only in recent years.
Enkoji Temple was founded in 1601 (Keicho 6) and has a long history, but after that it went through many hard times.
After the Meiji Restoration, the temple had no head priest and was almost abandoned.
In 1906, it finally started to be revived as a special training temple for nuns of the Rinzai sect, Nanzenji branch.

It has not been so long since the temple grounds were nicely cleaned and Enkoji became a sightseeing temple.
When we think of autumn leaves spots in Kyoto, we tend to think they are all old, famous places, but even now new autumn leaves spots are appearing one after another.

Recommended points by MK Taxi sightseeing drivers

• In the past, there were early-morning visits with limited time and number of people. This year, all time slots require a reservation, so visitors can avoid crowds even more. (Male driver in his 30s)
• In the “Jūgyū no Niwa” (Ten Oxen Garden) with its beautiful moss, the red fallen leaves and the carpet of leaves make a very nice contrast. (Male driver in his 50s)
• The tiny Jizo statues peeking out from the moss are very cute. (Male driver in his 50s)
• The garden seen from inside the room and the garden seen while walking outside give completely different ways to enjoy the autumn colors. (Driver)
• Before the regular visit starts at 9:00, there is an early-morning visit. It is by full reservation with a limit on the number of people, so you can enjoy the autumn leaves and the temple in real quiet. (Driver)
• You can stroll in the garden and climb the hill behind, see many kinds of autumn leaves, and look out over the streets of Kyoto city. (Male driver in his 40s)
• As a COVID-19 measure, visits are now by advance reservation. It takes a little extra effort, but because the number of visitors is limited, I think you can enjoy it slowly and calmly. (Driver)
• The “framed garden” really looks like a painting in a frame and is stunning. In the last few years it has been steadily changing and improving, so I look forward to it. (Male in his 30s)

No.3 Tofuku-ji Temple (Higashiyama Ward) – 7 votes

In the ranking of Kyoto autumn-leaf spots recommended by taxi drivers, Tofuku-ji Temple took 3rd place!
Together with Eikan-do Temple, which was 1st, it is one of the top two famous places for autumn leaves in Kyoto.

Before the survey, people already thought that 1st place in the autumn-leaf ranking would be either Eikan-do Temple or Tofuku-ji Temple.
As expected, Tofuku-ji was among the top places in the ranking.

In a 2021 ranking that focused only on autumn-leaf light-up spots, based on a survey of taxi drivers, Tofuku-ji was 4th.
This place is lower than 3rd in the main ranking, but if we remember that Tofuku-ji’s autumn-leaf light-up for the general public only started in 2020, this result is really amazing.

Highlights of autumn leaves at Tofuku-ji Temple

The best point of Tofuku-ji is its huge scale of autumn leaves.
From mid to late November, during the peak season, wherever you look—up, down, left, or right—you are surrounded by bright red leaves.

Even though it is just one JR stop from Kyoto Station and very easy to reach,
you can see a wide area of autumn colors that you would not expect to find in the middle of Kyoto city.

Tofuku-ji is a famous autumn-leaf spot in Kyoto that many people visit every year.
But because the temple grounds are very large, it is also a good place if you want to avoid being in a crowded space.

When you visit, you will understand how beautiful the autumn leaves at Tofuku-ji really are…

When people think about the autumn-leaf season at Tofuku-ji,
some may remember only how extremely crowded it was.
However, in the early morning it is not so crowded.

The autumn leaves shining in the morning sun are really worth seeing.

Recommended points from MK Taxi sightseeing drivers

• The view from Tsuten Bridge, looking over the Sengyokukan valley, is very beautiful and highly recommended. (Male driver in his 50s)
• Of course Tsuten Bridge is great, but the view from the Hojo (the main building area and garden) is also beautiful. (Male driver in his 40s)
• Wherever you look—up, down, left, or right—it is full of red maple leaves…!
  The photos look amazing, and when I posted them on social media, I got only positive comments. I was so happy. (Woman in her 20s)
• The view from Tsuten Bridge is superb. (Driver)
• The view from the three bridges of Tofuku-ji is spectacular. (Driver)
• Tsuten Bridge looks like a bridge over a sea of bright red autumn leaves. It is really amazing. (Man in his 30s)

For sightseeing in Kyoto, leave it to MK’s chartered sightseeing taxi.
Your private driver is a Kyoto expert who handles both transport and guiding.