Momijidera (紅葉寺)
A fall photo? Actually, no. I took this picture in May. As part of the bike ride, mentioned previously, in which I somewhat followed the street car line from Waseda to Oji (Ouji or Ooji) in Kita Ku, I parked my bike for a while in Oji (王子) and followed a walk in a guide book. The book led me to a temple called Kongouji (金剛寺). The nickname for the temple is Momijidera or Japanese Maple Temple and you can see why.
The trees were amazing. Some looked to be in their fall splendor even in May, but I think that is how they look all late-spring and summer long.
An old man who lived in the neighborhood stopped me and we chatted for a while. He told me a lot about the temple and the neighborhood. I wish I had written it down then as I forget most of it now. I do remember feeling like it was a wonderful conversation at the time.