Category: Recommendation

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Seimei Shrine（晴明神社）

Seimei Shrine is a shrine located in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, dedicated to Abeno Seimei, a renowned Onmyoji (diviner).
It is said to be a power spot for warding off evil and misfortune.
Abeno Seimei was a figure who was well-versed in astronomy, calendars, and divination, and enjoyed the deep trust of the imperial court. It is said that he interpreted good and bad fortune from the movements of stars and clouds, and his great achievements have been frequently depicted in movies, dramas, and novels.
Throughout the shrine grounds, the five-pointed star “Seimei Kikyo,” the shrine’s crest and a symbol of protection against evil, can be seen in various places.

On June 11th, the day I visited, the bellflowers were in full bloom.

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Shinsen-en Garden（神泉苑）

Shinsen-en Garden was built over 1,230 years ago, in 794 AD, when Emperor Kanmu constructed Heian-kyo (Kyoto). This area originally had many ponds and marshes, and was created as a garden for the emperor’s leisure activities, in line with the urban planning of Heian-kyo. In 812 AD, Emperor Saga visited the garden, and the first imperial cherry blossom viewing banquet in Japan took place there.
This representative garden of Heian-kyo can still be visited in the heart of the capital.

 

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Imamiya Shrine（今宮神社）

Imamiya Shrine is a shrine located in Murasakino Imamiya-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto City.
It is said that a shrine dedicated to the god of plague existed on the site even before the founding of Heian-kyo (Kyoto). In 994, a portable shrine was constructed and the Murasakino Goryo-e festival was held to pray for the eradication of plagues in the capital, which is considered the origin of Imamiya Shrine.
In front of the east gate, “Aburi Mochi,” a traditional gate-side confectionary that has been sold since the Heian period, is available.
“Ichiwa” is said to have been founded in the Heian period, around 1000 AD, and is considered one of the oldest Japanese confectionery shops.

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Daikaku-ji Temple（大覚寺）

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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Murin-anｰgarden（無鄰菴）

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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