| Kyoto is the former imperial capital of Japan, now a | | | | murmuring in the artificial river and the sound of birds. |
| capital of Kyoto prefecture. You can visit many old | | | | Unfortunately, you will usually pay 500 yen or so, |
| temples or shrines having beautiful gardens made by | | | | approximately 8.00 US dollars just to watch them. |
| old Japanese gardeners, sometimes made at more | | | | And in some other temples, you usually cannot stroll |
| than 1000 years before. Those Japanese gardens are | | | | around the garden even after you have paid the fee. |
| usually mimicking the world or cosmos in their | | | | Although I think it is valuable to watch the garden |
| landscape showing you a whole story of human life | | | | and think about Zen questions and answers in |
| or summarizing the relationship with your life and | | | | philosophical manner, many of non-Buddhist will not |
| cosmos, including your former life and next life. | | | | welcome such a polite way to watch a garden with |
| If you are patient enough to read the guide book or | | | | admission fee paying. |
| listen to translated explanation by monks in Japanese | | | | Here I introduce you the wonderful chance not only |
| temples, you will understand why each stones or | | | | to watch the garden but also to stroll in the garden |
| plants are set there in the garden with mimicry | | | | with no admission fee. You will find it at Kiyamachi |
| meanings of the life or the world. I am sorry I could | | | | street along the Kamogawa river, it is a garden of a |
| not understand monks preach completely. | | | | Japanese traditional food restaurant Ganko-Nijoen. |
| Those Japanese gardens are usually built by a few | | | | This garden named "Takassegawa Genryu Teien" |
| famous landscape gardener, "Niwashi", although their | | | | was build at Keicho 16th, 300 years before, and kept |
| names themselves were anonymous and only the | | | | as a villa for Japanese wealth merchant or prime |
| name of employer aristocrats or generals are | | | | ministers. And interestingly, this garden was finally |
| recorded. Anyway, You will be able to speculate that | | | | rebuilt by Aritomo Yamagata, himself was once an |
| the same landscape gardener had made those | | | | owner of this garden and called it "Dai-ni Murin-An," it |
| gardens by its appearance or the name of | | | | means the second Murin-An. |
| employers. | | | | Typical style of Japanese garden is composed with |
| Interestingly, there are a few exception of landscape | | | | four season plants, stones, an artificial fall and a |
| gardener. For example, Aritomo Yamagata, a field | | | | brook, and you can stroll in the garden along the |
| marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice | | | | path. Basically, the former, present and next human |
| Prime Minister of Japan was also famous as a | | | | life is symbolically expressed into those objectives in |
| talented garden designer, and today the gardens he | | | | the garden and old Japanese aristocrats enjoyed |
| designed are considered masterpieces of Japanese | | | | nature and life from their house balcony at one view. |
| gardens. A noted example is the garden of the villa | | | | It seems a bit different from the western peoples' |
| Murin-an in Kyoto. | | | | outlook of the world, but you will be able to learn |
| You can visit Murin-an and I strongly recommend you | | | | and try to trace the old Japanese aristocrats or |
| to visit there, because almost no foreign tourists will | | | | Samurai's thought under the light of thought of Zen |
| visit there, and you will find yourself in the quiet | | | | or Buddhism. |
| garden only listening to the sound of water | | | | |