A Garden Lost in Autumn Light. Three Moments Encountered at Sho-un Sanso / Kashiwazaki City, Niigata Prefecture

Hello! This is Kireido, living in Niigata.

It's autumn! So... let's go see the autumn leaves!
(Showa-era style maiden)

The other day, I went to Kashiwazaki City to cover the autumn leaves.

Kashiwazaki is about a 90-minute drive from Niigata City, where I live.

Even so, it's worth the trip!
There are three spots gathered there.

Today, I'm going to enthusiastically introduce one of them:
Sho-un Sanso.

Speaking of Sho-un Sanso, it's the autumn leaf illumination.

Sho-un Sanso is one of the prefecture's most popular spots,
where the garden is illuminated
every year during the autumn leaf season.

With red pines, azaleas, and maple trees,
as well as stone lanterns, ponds, and waterfalls,
it is truly a profound garden that is the quintessential Japanese garden.

Sho-un Sanso Illumination: The Magic of Twilight

I arrived early, so
while I was browsing the temporary tourist information center at the entrance,
I got some inside information.

“The time before it gets dark,
when the sky is still faintly bright, is incredibly beautiful.”

In other words, that's what you call twilight!!!

Once I heard that, I had no choice but to stake it out!

So,
I thoroughly enjoyed the changes in color and shadow from
daytime -> twilight -> full illumination.

Now, please enjoy the passage of time through these photos!

Sho-un Sanso during the day

Sho-un Sanso at twilight

Sho-un Sanso at night

It's as if the garden is breathing,
changing colors,
deepening shadows,
and softly dyeing the water's surface...

Before I knew it, I had been there for over two hours.

The date of the shoot was November 6th. It was just starting to turn colors.

Even so, the charm of Shoun Sanso is
the contrast with the green of the pine trees.

It was beautiful enough even at this time of year.

Even the souvenirs at Shoun Sanso are precious!

A limited-time shop at the entrance of Shoun Sanso,
and Kashiwazaki souvenirs are also on sale at the temporary tourist information center.

That's where the person at the tourist information center told me about
this 'Autumn Leaf Manju'.

It's a manju that is also served at the
'Kimura Tea Ceremony Museum' located within the Shoun Sanso garden,
and it's only sold during the autumn foliage season.

What's more,you can only buy it at Shoun Sanso.

→ In other words, a rare souvenir.

Once you're told that, you have no choice but to buy it!

The maple leaf-shaped brand is so cute that
it's a winner before you even eat it.

The taste is simple and has a comforting sweetness.

Being able to taste autumn unique to that land like this
is irresistible.

And this was a personal big hit—this one.

Kashiwazaki, Kashidokoro Suda 'Engatorte'

It seems its popularity exploded all at once after Gal Sone introduced it,
so it was already sold out when I visited the first time.

However!
I found it on my second visit and bought it immediately.

Caramel with walnuts wrapped in crispy dough—
this balance... is divine.

It lightly exceeded my expectations.
It's at a level where I hope it never goes extinct.
(It probably won't go extinct, though.)

Apparently there are seasonal flavors too,
...I'm going to go again, that's for sure.

Only God knows the timing of the autumn leaves.

Due to recent climate influences,
it seems the best time to see the autumn leaves is hard to predict every year.

Even the people at the tourism association
give a wry smile, saying, "Honestly, it's hard to say when the best time is..."

A sight unique to that year, that day, and that time.

The peak is not the only beauty;
the green, the start of the colors, and the post-peak are all beautiful.

That's exactly why I want to visit again and again.

Enjoying Sho-un Sanso (1): The magic of twilight

My favorite time of day is twilight.

The moment when the outside grows dim,
the sky turns into a gradient of blue and orange,
and the surface of the pond slowly deepens into black.

You can experience the boundary between the "daytime face" and the "nighttime face"
within a single garden.

This is something I want everyone to see at least once in their life.

Enjoying Sho-un Sanso (2): Playfulness

Inside the garden,
there are actually four stones shaped like animals hidden.

They were even in this photo! (Though half-hidden)

I spent two hours there on my first visit and didn't find a single one.
(Why? Am I blind?)

However, when I walked with my child on the second visit,
"Found one!"
"Found another one here!"
and we discovered them one after another.

Does that mean there are sights that adults alone can't see!?
(Just a lack of attention)

I personally love these kinds of little tricks.

The weekend-only kimono experience event was more fun than I imagined

This year, a weekend-only event called the Autumn Color Story was being held.

The biggest hit among them was the kimono dressing experience.

It's a new initiative where you can wear a kimono over your regular clothes.

• No items needed.

• You can put it on quickly, and it goes perfectly with the autumn leaves.

• You can even keep your shoes on.

The bright and kind staff will
help you choose a kimono,
saying things like, "This looks great on you!"

Since it's a simplified dressing style (over your clothes),
it's not a professional-grade finish,
but it's the perfect, low-barrier entry point to wearing a kimono!

That feeling of stepping into a colorful world while wearing a kimono.

It straightens your posture and clears your mind.

Sho-un Sanso is
a garden where you can take beautiful photos just by walking around.

However, when you walk through it wearing a kimono,
the feeling changes to one of being part of the scenery.

Beautiful autumn leaves x kimono.

This is the best.

Weekend-only event: Satisfy your hunger with sweet potatoes

The autumn leaves are beautiful, but
that alone isn't enough for my child.

What my daughter tried was
all-you-can-eat roasted sweet potatoes!

1,000 yen for junior high students and up, 300 yen for elementary students, 100 yen for preschoolers

First, choose the sweet potato you want to eat.

Weigh it.

Eat it.

I could do this endlessly for 30 minutes.
This roasted sweet potato was incredibly delicious.

The popular "Roasted Sweet Potato Cheesecake" (270 yen) is also exquisite.

Learning about the existence of the sweet potato farmer, Hamataro,
made me love Kashiwazaki even more.

I was able to realize that Kashiwazaki is packed not only with autumn leaves
but also with delicious food.

Shoun Sanso is a place I grow to love more each time I visit.

It was even more vibrant on my second visit.
(Date of photography: November 15, 2025)

What I felt after visiting twice is that
this garden is like a mirror reflecting the state of the visitor's heart
.

It offers tranquility to those who want quiet time,
colors to those who want to see autumn hues,
and healing to those who want a change of pace.

And for me,
it gave me such kindness,
as if it were saying, "Come back again."

Please also check out the Niigata Prefecture Tourism Association's official blog, Tabikichi!

While I write here on Note with many photos and a focus on "my experience,"
please also check out the articles from an official perspective.
↓

Which garden should I visit next?

In addition to Shoun Sanso, Kashiwazaki has

・Teikan-en Garden
・Iizuka Residence Shukou-en

which are famous gardens with distinct personalities.

I will talk plenty about those two next time, so look forward to it.

That is all from Kireido 🍁
Your "likes" are my motivation!

Posting seasonal articles (November–December) ↓

[November]

◆The optimal solution for overripe persimmons: rich and healthy persimmon curry was too delicious, and it's great for dieting too (November)
◆Made with Grandma's persimmons, persimmon vinegar is now ready (November)
◆Sweetness and richness condensed. Ripe persimmon Worcestershire sauce is excellent; it's officially a regular in our home (November)
◆For those with sore throats or constipation, fig syrup simmer will blow away the cold and dryness! Includes medicinal food tips (November)
◆Dry, cold, and itchy skin: 3 tips for getting through the cold winter energetically [November 7th Rittō (Start of Winter) Lazy Medicinal Cooking]
◆Don't fall behind! Prepare now to survive the winter: Winter arrival declaration (November 7th Rittō)
🔶【Want immunity and beautiful skin】A luxurious time with just one lemon—I tried making the currently trending lemon curd
◆【The Three Potato Musketeers】 Precious potatoes arrived from the food paradise of Hokkaido, so I compared them (November)
◆"Omesan, hatsumerane"—I want to preserve the warm words of my 90-year-old grandmother [Niigata dialect](November)
◆Did Uesugi Kenshin eat this too? Highly practical ultimate preserved food: Zuiki rope—what exactly is it? [Niigata Food] (November)
◆【From Niigata Taro Relay】Connections made on note through taro(November)
🔶The story of how I asked for Niigata Grandma Tomoko's direct recipe for pickled daikon radish and found out there was darkness lurking behind it (November)

[December]

◆[Lazy Yakuzen] Avoid irritation with winter staple mandarin oranges! How to quickly turn them into simple medicinal food?
◆[The King of Vitamin C]Whole Yuzu 4 recipes to use it all up: This is for those concerned about blood flow and stress. However...
◆If you want to drink yuzu tea in the cold winter, be careful of this
◆[Ginger Night] Use up all your fresh ginger! 5 ginger preservation recipes | What is the ultimate warming medicinal ginger syrup?(December)
◆Tried making miso at home with the kids
◆December 7th Heavy Snow | A secret trick you can do right now. Do this to avoid the cold winter that steals your youth
◆For those feeling anxious or impatient, eat the Winter Solstice Seven to ride the flow of good luck: December 22nd Winter Solstice
◆December 22nd Winter Solstice isn't just about yuzu and pumpkin! What are the familiar ingredients for good luck, the "Winter Solstice Seven"?
◆3 gastrointestinal rescue ingredients: Blow away Christmas, year-end parties, and overeating (Year-end)◆
[Niigata Local Food] The taste of the land that should be passed on to the next generation: What I realized when I made "Noppe"(December)◆
[Niigata Recommendation] I will wholeheartedly recommend the "Le Lectier" pear, the lady of pears(December)

🔶The divine response from a toy manufacturer that saved my Christmas failure
◆[Handmade Miso] I went to make miso with Danshiro Miso (Minami Ward, Niigata City)