Discover a Quiet and Peaceful side of Kyoto
This temple, deeply connected to the Imperial family (a monzeki temple), was called “Omuro Gosho” because Emperor Uda resided there after becoming a monk.
The main hall, a national treasure, is the oldest existing structure, a relocated building from the Shishinden Hall of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
In spring, the cherry blossoms are the latest blooming in the capital and are famous as “Omuro Cherry Blossoms,” attracting many visitors.
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Daikaku-ji Temple, located in Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City, was originally a detached palace built by Emperor Saga in the early Heian period.
Later converted into a temple, it is a prestigious monzeki temple with ties to the imperial family.
It is also famous as the birthplace of ikebana (Saga-goryu school) and for having Japan’s oldest artificial forest pond (Osawa Pond).
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Following the opening of the Lake Biwa Canal during the Meiji era, many residences with gardens incorporating water from the canal were built around Nanzenji Temple. Murin-an is one such example. It was the villa of Yamagata Aritomo, a politician of the Meiji and Taisho periods, and is considered a masterpiece of modern Japanese garden design, created by the gardener Jihei Ogawa VII.
The room used for the “Murin-an Conference,” where diplomatic negotiations before the Russo-Japanese War were discussed, has been preserved as it was.
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Kōshōji Temple is a Rinzai Zen temple located in Nishijin, Kyoto.
It is associated with Furuta Oribe, a daimyo (feudal lord) and tea master, and is also known as Oribe-dera (Oribe Temple).
Although it is located in the middle of town, its quiet garden with beautiful moss is highly recommended.
Here, you’ll find a unique feature: a “descending tsukubai,” a type of water basin where the ground is deeply dug out, and a spiral stone staircase leads down to the top where the water basin is placed.
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Daigo-ji Temple is a Shingon Buddhist temple located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, and is one of Kyoto’s World Heritage Sites.
It houses a large collection of Buddhist statues, paintings, and historical documents, with an estimated 70,000 items designated as National Treasures and 100,000 as Important Cultural Properties.
The five-story pagoda is the oldest wooden structure in Kyoto Prefecture, retaining its original form for over 1,000 years.
It is also famous for the “Daigo no Hanami” cherry blossom viewing event, once hosted by a renowned warlord.
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