Heian Shrine Shin-en garden

Shin-en garden, Heian Jingu Shrine, Okazaki Park, Kyoto
平安神宮 神苑(京都/岡崎公園)

I sometimes take guests to Heian (Jingu) shrine, but there aren’t many occasions we visit the garden partly because there’s an admission fee but mainly because of a lack of time.

Today I’ll show you its garden. The second week of June I was requested to take guests to the garden even though they had been to the shrine on a bus tour. I heard that they didn’t enjoy the shrine and it didn’t make any sense wishing to go there again.

When we arrived I finally understood they wanted to see its garden, not the shrine itself.



Japanese iris was almost in full-bloom and water lilies were just coming into bloom. The garden was breathtakingly beautiful.
I’ve been there many times and didn’t appreciate it much. The visit changed my opinion. The garden is transformed by the flowers. It is also a popular destination for cherry blossom viewing which should be lovely as well.


Those two buildings were transferred from the Imperial Palace when the garden was built in 1912 by a prominent gardener Ogawa Jihei, the pioneer of the modern Japanese garden.




Official site/The Garden (English)
Official site/Access (English)

A Thatching Village, Miyama

A Thatching Village, Miyama, Kyoto Pref.
京都美山 かやぶきの里 北村

It was 15:30 when I finish visiting Kozan-ji and decided to go further north along a meandering mountain road to Miyama, it was already 17:30 when I arrived.

Miyama is located in the central part of Kyoto prefecture, surrounded by mountains, actually the name Miyama means “beautiful mountains”.


The area is well-preserved and is as beautiful as the name suggests. I saw many of the thatched roofed houses the area is famed for and in particular the preserved area called “Kayabuki-no-sato” (Thatching Village). Out of around 50 of the village houses, 38 are thatched. 38 out of about 50 houses in this thriving village are thatched and most were built between the mid to late Edo period(1603-1867). To many visitors from around the country the place evokes the world of old Japanese stories. –Actually I thought of settling down when I visited the Shetland Islands. I might be easily fascinated with natural landscapes.

I was briefly tempted by the idea of living here too but realistically life without trains would be impossible at present.

It is undoubtedly an idyllic landscape, beautiful and peaceful.










access (Japanese)

Kozan-ji temple in Togano'o

Kozan-ji Temple, Togano'o, Kyoto
高山寺 (京都/栂尾)

Unexpectedly I had a car available I went to Togano-o area. Togano-o is north west of Kyoto city and might take more than 1 hour bus ride from Kyoto station. -I took 40 minutes by car.

I didn’t have much time to visit, so I picked Kozan-ji temple to visit this time.





The temple used to have many structures, but only a few are left. The sub-temple “Sekisui-in” is the only one left from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and designated as a National Treasure.


One of the reasons making Kozan-ji so popular is this series of drawings. “Choju-jinbutsu-giga” (Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Scrolls of Frolicking Animals and Humans) is said to be the first “manga” and the motifs are still very very popular, and can be seen on various products. –Actually my rice bowl has this motif. A replica is on show. It consists of 4 volumes and the originals are kept by Tokyo and Kyoto National Museums, each with two volumes.


A stunning view from Sekisui-in. Though renowned for it’s autumn colours the early summer green, in Japanese called the season of “Shinryoku” (new green), is every bit as beautiful.




I wanted to see this tea field, said to be the oldest in Japan. The stone sign on the below makes this claim.



Entry is prohibited but as I was born in a tea producing area and tea and paddy fields were my childhood landscape I was interested in seeing what the oldest is like. As expected the field is nothing special…






The Kozan-ji is registered as a “World Heritage Site”.

The neighbouring mountains have two other well-known temples and usually visitors visit all three temples in one trip. The whole area is one of the most popular destinations for autumn colours, particularly Japanese maples. It must be utterly stunning. Most of the maples I saw there were very tall and much bigger than the ones in the city. I imagine that the temples would be covered with blazing red colours.

a canal runs in a temple

Lake Biwa Canal at Nanzen-ji Temple, Kyoto
南禅寺の琵琶湖疎水(京都)

Lake Biwa Canal runs in Nanzen-ji Temple.
The site is frequently used at a location of Japanese dramas.

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters (6)

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters, Kyoto
南禅寺方丈(京都)



"還源庭" (Kangen-tei Garden) literally means “back to origin”.

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters (5)

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters, Kyoto
南禅寺方丈 (京都)





Roji tea garden


“龍吟庭” (Ryugin?-tei Garden) literally means “Dragon growling”.


”涵龍池” (Kanryu-chi? Pond) literally means “Dragon soaking”.

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters (4)

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters, Kyoto
南禅寺方丈 (京都)

“華厳の庭” (Kegon Garden)
According to the notice board of the garden; the word “Kegon” means “flower decoration” and is the core idea of Kegon sutra.

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters (3)

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters, Kyoto
南禅寺方丈 (京都)

“六道庭” (Roku-do garden)
In contrast to the former garden, this represents six realms in Buddhist cosmology.

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters (2)

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters, Kyoto
南禅寺方丈 (京都)

“如心庭” literally means “as the mind”. The stones are laid out in the form of the letter mind and the garden represents the state of enlightenment.

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters (1)

Gardens at Nanzen-ji Hojo Abbot’s Quarters, Kyoto
南禅寺方丈 (京都)

Hojo, the Abbot's Quarters, of Nanzen-ji temple has some gardens.

This is the oldest one and it is said to be the work of Kobori Enshu during the Edo period.

Nanzen-ji Temple

Nanzen-ji Temple, Kyoto
南禅寺(京都)

Nanzen-ji (南禅寺) temple is one of headquarters of the Nanzen-ji school of Rinzai zen sect. Originally a retired emperor's detached palace turned into a Zen temple. Like other old temples of Japan, the temple has lost original structures due to fire and war. The temple was restored by donation and the transfer of structures and many paintings from the Imperial Palace and Fushimi Castle which doesn’t exist anymore.


This is San-mon(三門) the main gate of the temple.
It is very familiar to Japanese
because of a Kabuki play about a thief.


"Hatto Hall"
where all the official rites are conducted.


"Kuri" where we enter Hojo.


Next to Kuri there is a gate
only opened for official occasions.


Go into Hojo Abbots' Quarters.


You can enjoy a bowl of green tea
in a room overlooking a pleasant garden.


This is an accompanying sweet with the temple name shown on it.
It doesn’t look good but it tastes much better than it looks.
It was yummy.

A yudofu set meal at Nanzenji Temple

Okutan Nanzenji branch, Nanzen-ji, Kyoto
奥丹 南禅寺店

When I say I come from Kyoto, some say that I am lucky to live Kyoto and they start talk of temples, gardens and YUDOFU(湯豆腐). Yudofu is a very simple dish, tofu in konbu kelp broth cooked in a large pot then dipped into sauce with chopped spring onion.

Where to eat Yudofu? Yudofu is home cooking for me. Once a couple told me they came to Kyoto all the way from Hiroshima, 500km to the west, just to have yudofu.

What?! Were they crazy?

It seems like yudofu must be something different from what I know. It must be, otherwise nobody would pay for simple tofu at a very expensive restaurant. I went with a friend, who likes tofu and had had yudofu at restaurants before, to an old restaurant which claims to be the oldest yudofu restaurant, Okutan(奥丹).





There’re many restaurants which serve yudofu around Nanzen-ji temple. We picked Okutan because the menu, actually only one set menu, seems to be more basic. –Some places serve it with sashimi and other things.



First of all sesame tofu and grated yamaimo,
similar to Japanese yam with wasabi, are served.


Then skewered baked tofu
coated with Japanese pepper, sansyo, miso.
They are lovely!


Then Shojin-age vegetable tempra.




Then yudofu boiled tofu.
Tofu test like real rich soy beans flavour,
which means I usually eat the one isn’t good quality…

Finally a bowl of rice and pickles.
Their boild rice is lovely!!
-I asked if I could have another serving,
which charged extra 200yen,
but I was so full after having the whole meal
and couldn’t ask another.


Unexpectedly the meal was filling and I had to skip dinner. The atmosphere was great and food was good. I think it was worth paying for eating out yudofu now, but not often…

-Okutan also has another restaurant at Kiyomizu-zaka near Kiyomizu temple.