{"id":6554,"date":"2026-03-16T06:03:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/16\/gpod-on-the-road-peak-autumn-foliage-in-japan-part-1\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T06:03:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:03:40","slug":"gpod-on-the-road-peak-autumn-foliage-in-japan-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/16\/gpod-on-the-road-peak-autumn-foliage-in-japan-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"GPOD on the Road: Peak Autumn Foliage in Japan, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Happy Monday GPODers!<\/p>\n<p>Our community has been on the move! When I did recent calls for photos from public gardens that you all have visited over the past year, I knew we were bound to see some exciting destinations but I don\u2019t think I was prepared for the range of garden photos we would receive from far-flung locations. In fact, we received so many fabulous submissions from gorgeous garden destinations that I have decided to take GPOD \u201con the road\u201d for an entire week! We will be experiencing a wide range of gardens\u2014from formal castle grounds to naturalistic designs and even the home garden of a world-renowned landscape designer that you have the chance to visit with <em>Fine Gardening.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But we\u2019re kicking the week off in Japan, with some fabulous foliage photos that Bonnie Phipps Moninger captured during her trip last fall. We saw an update from Bonnie\u2019s home garden in Boulder, Colorado last week (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.finegardening.com\/article\/bonnies-front-garden-in-colorado\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bonnie\u2019s Front Garden in Colorado<\/a>), and the appreciation for Japanese garden designs that we saw in her front yard displays are seen again in the admiration she has for the naturalistic landscapes she enjoyed in her travels.<\/p>\n<p><em>In November 2025, my husband and I traveled to Japan, hoping to witness the autumn foliage. We were fortunate to be there during the peak season! We dedicated a significant amount of time in Kyoto, exploring the smaller temples in Arashiyama as well as some of the larger ones near Gion. The Japanese invest considerable time, thought, and intention into the arrangement of trees, plants, rocks, and statues in their gardens, resulting in a stunning tapestry of shapes, textures, and colors. They are experts in using large rocks, Japanese lanterns, and intricate rock paths in their designs. These gardens, though they have been landscaped many years ago, look so natural. We were in awe throughout our entire stay. Below are some pictures of the gardens we visited.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The first group of photos is from the Arashiyama area of Kyoto. This area has smaller temples, and you can walk from one to another, connected by small roads. Each temple garden is quite different, and there are tons of them!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160532\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-1-Enrian-Temple.jpg\"><\/a><em>Enrian Temple, Arashiyama, Kyoto<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160534\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-2-Enrian-Temple.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226994\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160534\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-2-Enrian-Temple.jpg\" alt=\"pergola in fall garden\" width=\"900\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160534\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-2-Enrian-Temple.jpg 900w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160534\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-2-Enrian-Temple-700x544.jpg 700w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160534\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-2-Enrian-Temple-768x597.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"\/><\/a><em>Enrian Temple, Arashiyama, Kyoto<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160536\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-3-Gioji-Temple-fountain.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226995\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160536\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-3-Gioji-Temple-fountain.jpg\" alt=\"rustic water fountain\" width=\"500\" height=\"700\"\/><\/a><em>Gio-ji Temple,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama<\/em>. <em>This is a natural-looking small fountain. The golden ground cover in the back is all moss.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160539\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-4-Jojakkoji-Temple.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-226996 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160539\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-4-Jojakkoji-Temple.jpg\" alt=\"vibrant fall foliage\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160539\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-4-Jojakkoji-Temple.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160539\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-4-Jojakkoji-Temple-700x525.jpg 700w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160539\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-4-Jojakkoji-Temple-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><\/a><em>Jojakkoji Temple,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama, Kyoto<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160541\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-5-Jojakkoji-Temple.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226997\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160541\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-5-Jojakkoji-Temple.jpg\" alt=\"view of temple and trees with fall color\" width=\"900\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160541\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-5-Jojakkoji-Temple.jpg 900w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160541\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-5-Jojakkoji-Temple-700x506.jpg 700w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160541\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-5-Jojakkoji-Temple-768x555.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"\/><\/a><em>Jojakkoji Temple,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama, Kyoto<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160543\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-6-Jojakkoji-Temple-stone-pathways.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226998\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160543\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-6-Jojakkoji-Temple-stone-pathways.jpg\" alt=\"stone walking path at Japanese temple\" width=\"500\" height=\"700\"\/><\/a><em>Jojakkoji Temple,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama<\/em>. <em>Many of the gardens featured exquisite stone pathways that meandered through them, similar to this one and those depicted in the images in the next picture.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160545\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-7-stone-pathways.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-226999\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160545\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-7-stone-pathways.jpg\" alt=\"stone waking path in Japanese gardens\" width=\"1200\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160545\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-7-stone-pathways.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160545\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-7-stone-pathways-700x315.jpg 700w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160545\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-7-stone-pathways-768x346.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"\/><\/a><em>Left: Jojakkoji Temple,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama; Center and right:<\/em> <em>Okochi Sanso Garden,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160547\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-8-Okochi-Sanso-Villa.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-227000\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160547\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-8-Okochi-Sanso-Villa.jpg\" alt=\"fall in Japanese garden\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160547\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-8-Okochi-Sanso-Villa.jpg 900w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160547\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-8-Okochi-Sanso-Villa-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160547\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-8-Okochi-Sanso-Villa-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"\/><\/a><em>Okochi Sanso Villa in<\/em> <em>Arashiyama<\/em>. <em>Formerly the estate of the famed film actor Okochi Denjiro (1898 \u2013 1962). It has over a mile of paths running through its beautiful gardens. I love the large boulder in this image. I think it significantly enhances the surrounding area. There are Japanese letters engraved on it, but it\u2019s hard to see in this picture.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160549\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-9-Okochi-Sanso-Garden.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-227001\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160549\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-9-Okochi-Sanso-Garden.jpg\" alt=\"garden arch of stone walking path\" width=\"900\" height=\"670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160549\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-9-Okochi-Sanso-Garden.jpg 900w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160549\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-9-Okochi-Sanso-Garden-700x521.jpg 700w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160549\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-9-Okochi-Sanso-Garden-768x572.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"\/><\/a><em>Okochi Sanso Garden,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama. I\u2019ve always wanted to step inside a picture and this framed area let us do just that!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160551\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-10-Okochi-Sanso-Garden.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-227002\" src=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160551\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-10-Okochi-Sanso-Garden.jpg\" alt=\"trees and shrubs with colorful foliage\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160551\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-10-Okochi-Sanso-Garden.jpg 900w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160551\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-10-Okochi-Sanso-Garden-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/images.finegardening.com\/app\/uploads\/2026\/03\/11160551\/GPOD-Phipps-Moninger-10-Okochi-Sanso-Garden-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"\/><\/a><em>Okochi Sanso Garden,<\/em> <em>Arashiyama.<\/em> <em>Japanese lantern, among all the colors and textures of the trees and shrubs.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Bonnie sent in so many fabulous photos from her time in Japan that we will be returning tomorrow to see more sensational fall scenes from this trip.<\/p>\n<p>If you have photos of the gorgeous gardens you travelled to see over the past year, it\u2019s still not too late to share them with the blog!\u00a0 <strong>Follow the NEW directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>We want to see YOUR garden!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Have photos to share? We\u2019d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!<\/p>\n<p>To submit, fill out the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/app.viralsweep.com\/contest\/full\/371f8a-217012?framed=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>You can also send 5\u201310 photos to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.finegardening.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#670017080327130612091308094904080a\"><span class=\"__cf_email__\" data-cfemail=\"d6b1a6b9b296a2b7a3b8a2b9b8f8b5b9bb\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/a>\u00a0along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We\u2019d love to hear where you are located, how long you\u2019ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.<\/p>\n<p>Do you receive the GPOD by email yet?\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.finegardening.com\/email-signup\">Sign up here<\/a><\/p>\n<section class=\"tcc-recommended\" arial-labelledby=\"tcc-recommended-products\">\n<p class=\"tcc-recommended__title\" id=\"tcc-recommended-products\">Fine Gardening Recommended Products<\/p>\n<div class=\"tcc-recommended__content\">\n<section class=\"tcc-recommended-product\" data-product_id=\"208940\" aria-labelledby=\"tcc-organo-republic-16-perennial-wildflower-seeds-mix-for-indoor-outdoors\">\n<div class=\"tcc-recommended-product__content\">\n<div class=\"tcc-recommended-product__image\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d4c5gb8slvq7w.cloudfront.net\/eyJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjE1MCwiaGVpZ2h0IjoxNTB9fSwiYnVja2V0IjoiZmluZWdhcmRlbmluZy5zMy50YXVudG9uY2xvdWQuY29tIiwia2V5IjoiYXBwXC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI0XC8xMVwvMjExMjU2NTNcL09yZ2Fuby1SZXB1YmxpYy0xNi1QZXJlbm5pYWwtV2lsZGZsb3dlci1TZWVkcy1NaXgtZm9yLUluZG9vci1PdXRkb29ycy5qcGcifQ==\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d4c5gb8slvq7w.cloudfront.net\/eyJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjE1MCwiaGVpZ2h0IjoxNTB9fSwiYnVja2V0IjoiZmluZWdhcmRlbmluZy5zMy50YXVudG9uY2xvdWQuY29tIiwia2V5IjoiYXBwXC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI0XC8xMVwvMjExMjU2NTNcL09yZ2Fuby1SZXB1YmxpYy0xNi1QZXJlbm5pYWwtV2lsZGZsb3dlci1TZWVkcy1NaXgtZm9yLUluZG9vci1PdXRkb29ycy5qcGcifQ== 150w,&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;&#9;https:\/\/d4c5gb8slvq7w.cloudfront.net\/eyJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjEwMCwiaGVpZ2h0IjoxMDB9fSwiYnVja2V0IjoiZmluZWdhcmRlbmluZy5zMy50YXVudG9uY2xvdWQuY29tIiwia2V5IjoiYXBwXC91cGxvYWRzXC8yMDI0XC8xMVwvMjExMjU2NTNcL09yZ2Fuby1SZXB1YmxpYy0xNi1QZXJlbm5pYWwtV2lsZGZsb3dlci1TZWVkcy1NaXgtZm9yLUluZG9vci1PdXRkb29ycy5qcGcifQ== 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" alt=\"\" width=\"1189\" height=\"1500\"\/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"tcc-recommended-product__info\">\n<p class=\"tcc-recommended-product__title\" id=\"tcc-organo-republic-16-perennial-wildflower-seeds-mix-for-indoor-outdoors\">Organo Republic 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix for Indoor &amp; Outdoors<\/p>\n<p class=\"tcc-recommended__disclaimer\">Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.<\/p>\n<p>Premium 16 Perennial Wildflower Seeds Mix &#8211; Special Garden Flower Seeds Blend designed for planting indoor &amp; outdoors across North America. 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Our community has been on the move! When I did recent calls for photos from public gardens that you all have visited over the past year, I knew we were bound to see some exciting destinations but I don\u2019t think I was prepared for the range of garden photos we would receive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6555,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[329],"tags":[2437,599,516,2438,704,2436,517],"class_list":{"0":"post-6554","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gardening","8":"tag-autumn","9":"tag-foliage","10":"tag-gpod","11":"tag-japan","12":"tag-part","13":"tag-peak","14":"tag-road"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>GPOD on the Road: Peak Autumn Foliage in Japan, Part 1 - Well Rooted Wellness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wrwofficial.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/16\/gpod-on-the-road-peak-autumn-foliage-in-japan-part-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GPOD on the Road: Peak Autumn Foliage in Japan, Part 1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Happy Monday GPODers! Our community has been on the move! 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