I went to see the garden at Kyutei Omuro. It is located in a quiet residential area near Ninna-ji Temple, at the northern foot of Ichino-oka Hill.Perhaps because I visited during the hot part of the day, there were few people around, so I was able to relax in the tea house in the garden.

Kinkaku-ji is a classic tourist destination in Kyoto. Almost all tourists who visit Kyoto stop by here.The Kinkaku(reliquary hall) seen over Kyoko-chi Pond is set against the backdrop of Mt. Kinugasa. This angle makes the Kinkaku look its best.

Ryoan-ji Temple, famous for its rock garden, attracts many tourists who come here just to see the garden.If you want to see the rock garden, it's best to go early in the morning. You can sit on the veranda of the Hojo building, where there are fewer people, and meditate in the silence, facing the rock garden. The rock garden at Ryoan-ji Temple is a peaceful and pleasant space, but I think the forest surrounding the temple is also a healing space.

From morning, take your time to enjoy the gardens of Tenryu-ji Temple. The Sogen-chi Pond Garden, as seen from the Dai-hojo(ceremonial hall) and the Ko-hojo(reception hall), is a superb garden that makes use of the scenery of Arashiyama as a backdrop.

Fushimi Inari Taisha is located on Mt.Inari, a 233-meter-high mountain at the southernmost tip of the 36 peaks of the Higashiyama mountain range.This time, I went to the Ganriki-sha Shrine on the mountainside. This is a shrine where, in addition to recovery from eye diseases, you can pray for “insight” and “the gift of eyesight”. Many business people and company owners come to pray at this shrine.

Long ago, the Hashimoto red-light district was located here.Although you may get off at “Iwashimizu-hachimangu Station” one stop further away, it is not often that you get off at this “Hashimoto Station”,The west side of the station is dotted with retro buildings of the old red-light district that remind us of the bygone days.

The air was cool at Kurama-dera Temple after the rain last night.We walked up the stairs to the main shrine.On the way, there was a large cedar tree at Yuki-jinja Shrine.This large tree is the sacred tree of this shrine, and it is said to be 800 years old.

The popular Suzumushi-dera Temple limits admission so you can't get in right away.Saiho-ji Temple (Koke-dera Temple), which Steve Jobs also visited, will not let you in right away either, unless you register in advance.So we visited this Jizo-in Temple.It is not a familiar temple, but when you pass through the gate, there is an approach to the temple in a bamboo grove.The garden is quiet and serene.

The sound of running water.The sound of frogs croaking.A cool breeze.Here at Shoren-in Temple, it is a world of silence.All the worshippers are quietly gazing at the garden.It is a space where you might forget the passage of time.