#yoshikien

[myjapan-me]

Yoshikien, Nara, 2

[kyotodreamtrips]

A Lantern at Yoshiki-en: A Japanese Garden in Nara City, Japan!

[norisunorin]

奈良県　吉城園　Nara Yoshikien

[myunochrome]

[matchajapantravel-blog]

Yoshikien Garden – A Green Oasis In The Heart Of Nara

Yoshikien Garden in Nara is composed of three gardens: Pond Garden, Moss Garden, and Tea Flower Garden. This article introduces everything you need to know before visiting this amazing garden.

https://matcha-jp.com/en/4542

[utsukushiishoujomangas]

Trip to Japan recap! (Part 2 - Kyoto and Nara)

Hello all,

In case you missed it, here’s part 1 of the recap:

http://utsukushiishoujomangas.tumblr.com/post/164067970528/trip-to-japan-recap-part-1

Part 3:

http://utsukushiishoujomangas.tumblr.com/post/164334394698/trip-to-japan-recap-part-3-himeji-hakone-and

In this post I’ll show pictures of the non-shoujo manga related part of the trip. Because of the many pictures, I have decided to split this part again.

The excellent view from our hotel in Futakotamagawa. Shame we only stayed here 1 night though. :/

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The next day we went to Kyoto by bullet train (Shinkansen). It was raining heavily so we spent the rest of the day shopping indoors in Kyoto station (15 floors chock full with 3 shopping malls, a hotel, a movie theater, and 2 department stores). The next day the rain was still there, but it was light enough to prevent us from cooping up in our hotel (and there were way less tourists apparently because of it).

First stop was Nijo Castle, the residence of the Shogun built at the start of the Tokugawa Shogunate when Kyoto was the capital of Japan.

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Next we went to Kinkaku-ji, a Buddhist temple containing the Golden Pavilion and probably one of the most famous temples in Japan. The present one is a reconstruction, as the original one was burned by a rookie monk in 1950 who then tried to commit suicide. There’s not much honestly other than the pavilion… Still horribly crowded on a rainy day, but I managed to get a nice picture! :D

At the end of the complex, you can buy charms, wishing plaques, etc.

After that we went to Ryoan-ji, which is famous for its Zen rock garden.

Apparently, at least one of the rocks is hidden from view from any viewing angle.

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The rest of the temple grounds aren’t that bad either:

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Final stop of that day was Ninna-ji, a Buddhist temple complex with strong ties to the Japanese Imperial family (the bishop was always a member of the Imperial family).

I really liked this one. For some reason there was a severe lack of tourists/people here. I think I saw less than 50 people here during my hour and a half there, which is awesome considering the place was much bigger than spay Kinkaku-ji.

Also, they let you inside buildings and take pics inside (unlike Nijo Castle). ^^

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The 5-story pagoda of the temple complex. Notice the raindrops.

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Back to the outside world~

The next day we went to Nara, 45 minutes by train to the south of Kyoto. One-time capital of Japan for 84 years (710-794) and one of the birthplaces of Buddhism in Japan.

We took the local train, so it was a nice train ride across the countryside.

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Nara’s main attraction is the Buddhist temple Todai-ji, whose main hall houses the largest bronze Buddha in the world and was until somewhat recently (1998) the largest wooden structure in the world. It is located in Nara Park, which is officially 1240 acres large.

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Lots of Japanese middle/high school groups touring the place. Heh it makes me feel old and kinda nostalgic about my own school field trips…

There it is, the bronze Buddha.

Two of the statues flanking the bronze Buddha. Notice the school group.

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Bell tower of the temple, located a little uphill. Most tourists seemed to take the exit instead of going this way, so there were only Japanese schoolkids on free time on our route.

Next up is Nigatsu-do Hall, still part of Todai-ji temple.

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Nigatsu-do is known for its sweeping view over Nara. We weren’t disappointed. There was also free green tea.

Just a few minutes walk away from Nigatsu-do is Tamukeyama Hachiman-gu Shrine, dedicated to the deity of archery Hachiman. The first picture is of the water purification fountain (chōzuya). You have to wash your hands and rinse your mouth (then spit out the water, do not drink it) with the ladle.

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We were short on time (4 days for Kyoto/Nara/Osaka) so we didn’t fully explore Nara Park, but by all means do so if you ever find yourself there. Just wandering randomly and running into temples is a great way to spend a day.

No trip to Nara would be complete without the famous deer! A symbol of Nara (I saw/heard schoolgirls gush over how kawaii the deer merchandise in gift shops lol), over 1200 wild deer freely roam inside the park. They used to have a divine status (a bit like cows in India?) but now they’re just designated “national treasures” and you can buy a stack of deer crackers for 150 yen to feed them yourself.

We ended our trip to Nara with Yoshikien Garden, which has free admission for foreign tourists (unlike Isuien Garden next door which has more people flocking to?).

They have 4 different sections, but the ‘Moss Garden’ one was the best in my opinion. ^^

Before returning to Kyoto, we stopped at Uji, a city known for its high-quality tea. It was one of the first places where tea was cultivated in Japan, and many long-standing tea companies still have their headquarters there. Located a comfortable 10 mins walk from JR Uji station, the street leading up to Byodoin temple has a large concentration of tea shops.

They sold many green tea flavoured products, like this instant curry:

They even have green tea collectible figurines gacha boxes lol.

Green tea takoyaki (I didn’t taste these).

Waiting for the train at JR Uji station. A quaint typical everyday scene.

The next day, we had to leave Kyoto for Osaka, but our hotel check-out time was 12 PM (AKA noon). So we had enough time to visit one more temple in Kyoto. Here’s a nice picture on a typical pedestrian overpass on the way to the temple.

Nishihongan-ji Temple is a comfortable walk from Kyoto station. Headquarters of the Hongwanji sect of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, it is still active today (finished in 1591).

Lantern outside.

One of the main halls.

Chōzuya (water purification fountain)

Ornate karamon gate.

Aaaand that’s all for this part (it’s already way too long for a single post but I wanted to regroup Kyoto and Nara together). As always, I hope you folks enjoyed. Next: Himeji, Hakone and Tokyo~

[myjapan-me]

Yoshikien, Nara, 1

[myjapan-me]

Yoshikien, Nara, 8