Kodai-ji and Entoku-in Spring Light-up (Picture Book)

Entrance to Kodai-ji at night

Giving in to the magical pull of Japan’s old capital also during our current stay, we spent once more a (too short!) weekend in Kyoto. If my counting is not off, this has been our tenth visit! (And no, you cannot go too many times.)
Something not to be missed are the various night visits, special openings and Light-ups of Kyoto gardens during spring and autumn time. In spring, most of them are Sakura Light-ups, however the illuminations of Kodai-ji (高台時) and Entoku-in (圓徳院) last until early May.

Dry landscape garden of Entoku-in at night

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Spring in Kyoto – Shades of Green

Looking towards Higashiyama

In early May, one of the natural beauties of Japan is the lush spring foliage, exploding in shades of green. While the new leaves of the deciduous trees appear in bright hues of emerald, the new growth of some of the evergreens is extremely light compared to the dark green of the older leaves, giving the trees a two-colored appearance. Everyone loves the cherry blossoms and the autumn leaves, but there is a lot of attraction in other seasons as well. Now it’s a great time of year to appreciate the beauty and variety of just one color: green.

The Japanese maple – also in spring a superstar

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Exploring Arashiyama

During more than one month back in Japan, we couldn’t very well miss out on Kyoto, could we? After all, you cannot spend too much time in Kyoto. Apart from revisiting the places we’ve grown fond of over time, we also explored something new. In the hills in the north-east of town lies Arashiyama (嵐山), named after one of the mountains. The region also goes by the name of Sagano. The nobles have enjoyed this getaway for its natural beauty for centuries already, and it is still a mayor touristic attraction (how much can be measured by the sheer density of souvenir shops that line the streets). Maybe its most important sight is the Zen temple of Tenryuji (天竜寺), designated UNESCO World Heritage.

Togetsukyo in Arashiyama

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Kyoto Zen Gardens II (Picture Book)

Japan’s Zen gardens fascinate the Western world. In Kyoto there are so many of them, that even though I have already presented some pictures in the past, today I would like to share some more.
The temple complex of Nanzenji houses a number of beautiful examples of the famous dry landscape (枯山水, karesansui) Zen garden. There are large viewing gardens and courtyard gardens of all sizes, all of them beautiful in their own way.

Dry landscape garden at Nanzenji

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Gion in Details (Picture Book)

Gion is mostly known as the Geisha district of Kyoto. But the area of Gion and between Maruyama Park and Kiyomizudera is lovely in its own right. Here, you get a feeling of the old Japan. Few places in Japan have retained so much of their historical character. The narrow lanes with small houses are full of lovely details. And of course, the cherry blossoms add to their charm.
Small shops selling local crafts and restaurants boasting the local specialties (tofu) attract the casual passer-by, and tea houses tucked into corners invite for a bowl of matcha or a refreshing iced green tea under the drooping branches of a shidare sakura.
Here are some views to share.

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Kyoto Sakura Light-up (Picture Book)

Central Shidare-Sakura in Maruyama Park

Cherry blossom viewing is not restricted to the daylight hours. A number of places in Kyoto have special Light-ups for this purpose. Some of them, like Maruyama Park and the Shirakawa River are publicly accessible, while for the Light-ups on the grounds of Kiyomizudera, Kodaiji, or Nijo Castle, you have to buy a ticket. The Sakura Light-ups are often spectacular and afford a different view of the Sakura. In short, they are not to be missed!

Lit gate at Kiyomizudera

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Sakura in Kyoto (Picture Book)

To be in Kyoto during the cherry blossom season is a dream come true. Not that Tokyo wouldn’t have lots of sakura trees. But Kyoto provides this special historical setting of temples and shrines that shows off a blooming cherry tree just so much better. The season is just starting out, with the weeping shidare-sakura at its best now, and the limpid spring air gives the blue skies this clear and intense quality I find particular to Japan.

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Kyoto Zen Gardens – Picture Book

Viewing garden at Tenryu-ji

Kyoto is famous for its hundreds of temple gardens. While Japan is world-famous for its garden design, it’s probably fair to say that the very best can be found in Kyoto. During our last visit, we had the chance to visit the gardens of a number of Zen temples. Enjoy!

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Our eccentric Kyoto Ryokan

This week, another conference has brought us back to Kyoto. Since we have already experimented the business-hotel options abundantly, we had decided to go for something new and reserved a Ryokan. We ended up in a small, old-style Japanese house which was stuffed with eccentric decor! This is what it looked like.

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Daimonji-Yama to Nanzenji

Another hike that is easily accessible from Kyoto is the trail up Daimonji-yama, starting behind Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion.
Daimonji-yama deserves an explanation up front. Located on the North-Eastern edge of town, it is visible from far. It is notable for the large deforested patch near the top that bears a giant 大 (Dai), the kanji for big.

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