Day: April 19, 2025

Ella’s talked about the tea house in the Lion’s Roar Garden, but what she didn’t mention was the little “traditional Japanese sweet” that, when we were staying in Sparky’s Place back in Naoshima, I confused with a bar of soap that had the same shape and color.  On our way out the door to tour the…

Designed by Sakugen Shuryo, a Zen master, poet and diplomat in the 1500’s, the Lion’s Roar gardens of the Zen Buddhist Hogon-in temple is breathtaking. Using the principle of “borrowed scenery”, this garden folds itself into the surrounding forest using Mt. Arashiyama as a backdrop.  if ever there was a place to let zen into…

Arashiyama is an area just west of Kyoto city. Arashiyama  means “the storm mountain” and comes from the wind known as “Atago Oroshi,” which sweeps down Mt. Atago and blows away all the cherry blossoms and maple leaves at the end of their seasons. Nature’s air blower using wind power.  From our place, a city bus…

When we were visiting the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art this afternoon, I came across a painting that made me pause then do a double take.  It was part of an exhibition of mostly 19th century Polish artwork.  The painter was Jan Matejko and the subject was Stańczyk, a famous Polish court jester (1480-1560) employed by…

This morning we took a bus to a train to the Arishiyama district of Kyoto where our first stop was the Kimono Forest. Our second stop was devoted to averting the army of tourists swarming towards the large Tenryu-ji Temple.  (Size makes a difference when it comes to attracting crowds in World Heritage sites.)   Slipping away…