Discover a Quiet and Peaceful side of Kyoto
It is located to the east of the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park and is a shrine dedicated to those who played a pivotal role in the Meiji Restoration.
There is a café within the shrine grounds where you can enjoy coffee brewed using water from one of Kyoto’s three famous springs.
It is renowned as a prime spot for viewing bush clover (hagi), making it a place I would love to visit again in the autumn.
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The Chinese bellflowers are blooming beautifully here as well.
Every year at this time, a sign appears at the temple gate announcing, “The Chinese bellflowers are in bloom.”
This temple is famous for these flowers, which are associated with *The Tale of Genji*; it is the site where Murasaki Shikibu, the tale’s author, once lived and wrote her masterpiece.
These lovely flowers are in full bloom in the garden known as the “Genji Garden.”
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Tentoku-in is one of the sub-temples of Tofuku-ji; although it is currently open for special viewing, I was unable to visit last week due to a typhoon.
I returned this week and had a wonderful time admiring the bellflower blossoms through the *kato-mado* (bell-shaped window) while enjoying some matcha.
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A sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, the head temple of the Daitoku-ji school of the Rinzai sect.
It features a *hojo* (abbot’s quarters) garden—restored by landscape architect Kinsaku Nakane, who was known as the “Kobori Enshu of the Showa era”—which boasts magnificent stone arrangements in the Momoyama style, as well as the “Kankyo-tei” tea house.
Daitoku-ji, located within Kyoto City, is a spot I highly recommend; it is quiet and uncrowded, allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the “good old Japan” and the traditional charm of Kyoto.
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Kenkun Shrine is located on Mt. Funaoka in Kyoto’s Kita Ward.
Its formal name is Takeisao Shrine.
The principal deity enshrined there is Oda Nobunaga, who is worshipped alongside his son, Nobutada.
“Chinowa-kuguri” is a ritual that involves passing through a large ring made of cogon grass (*chinowa*) to purify one’s body and mind while praying for protection against misfortune, good health, and the safety of one’s family. Since ancient times in Japan, it has been believed that passing through this ring—set up at shrines during the “Nagoshi no Sekku” (Summer Purification Festival) in June—helps ward off calamity.
“Chinowa-kuguri”
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