The Classic Garden Tour of Kyoto, Autumn 2010
Day 1
Arrival Kansai International Airport, Osaka, on Thursday October 28. Our tour to look at Japanese gardens will begin in the heart of Kyoto where we will stay at the Kyoto Hotel Okura.
The adventure begins on day one, Friday Oct 29th, with a visit to the national treasure Katsura Rikyu, an Imperial villa and garden of 17 acres created by Prince Toshihito, the Emperor Goyozei’s brother, in 1615. It is an early stroll garden and is considered one of the high points of Japanese garden art designed with literature and martial arts in mind and being a model for later noble gardens. A central pond is encircled by a path, leading through a series of stepping stones across shallow water, stone bridges and a beautiful curved wooden bridge. The path leads the visitor, controlling the pace, through ever changing sumptuous views which unfold along its route.
A number of rustic and elegant tea houses sit within the landscape. The
first, Shokin-tei, meaning ‘the sound of the harp and the whistle of wind through pine trees’,
has the most unusual original blue and white chequerboard design on its sliding
doors seemingly completely modern. The entrance to the main villa complex
is carpeted with moss with a stone path leading up to steps where a large
stone which can accommodate 6 pairs of shoes awaits visitors. Overlooking
the pond is a tsukimi-dai --an elegant bamboo covered moon viewing
platform. There are lawns for archery and other sports nearby. Careful placement
of trees, hedges and shrubs combined with the route of the path make for
wonderfully controlled visual experiences leaving you breathless with anticipation
and pleasure.
We will make a brief stop at the Bamboo museum which is nearby, where many types of decorative landscape bamboos—even one that is square in cross section--can be seen growing and in use for traditional crafts.
After our Japanese lunch we will visit Ryoan-ji, the Dragon Peace temple, within the grounds of a larger temple complex. This dry garden laid out in 1499 is the finest Zen garden, with its 15 stones, not all visible at any one time, arranged in raked white granite gravel and the whole set off by earthen walls capped with tiles serving to enclose and complete the contemplative mood within the garden. The patterns made by oils within the rammed earth walls seem to reflect the ‘movement’ of the gravel ocean in front. The rocks are surrounded with moss representing vegetation on the islands within the water. So we begin to understand the importance of Japanese reverence for the sea, a source of food yet a force of nature which controls their lives and separates them from the outside world. The garden is viewed by sitting on the worn wooden verandas of the temple.
Nothing will prepare you for the burst of wow at our next stop when you first see the Golden pavilion, Kinkakuji. Using the woods behind as borrowed landscape, it has as its centrepiece the glittering gold covered pavilion rebuilt after a mad monk burnt it down in 1950. This garden and its buildings are only a small part of the original villa complex—influenced by the Chinese Song Dynasty--created for the Shogun Yoshimitsu in 1394. Notice how the perspective and sense of distance between the viewer looking across the pond to the pavilion is manipulated by the size of the trees and the placing of the rocky islands in the foreground. These are counterbalanced by the way the larger trees grow and are pruned behind the building allowing a view of mountains in the distance.
Day 2
On Day 2, Saturday, we will visit the imperial Shugakuin Villa in
the hills to the north east of Kyoto. When Emperor Gomizuno abdicated in
1629 he spent time looking for a place to created this landscape with its
villas for recreation and aesthetic pursuits. No doubt spurred on by his
brother’s masterpiece at Katsura, Gomizuno started building in 1650 on the
site of an old temple. He used the distant wooded hills across the valley
for a spectacular “borrowed” view or shakkei across its lake the
‘bathing dragon pond’. The dam which holds up the lake has an enormous clipped
hedge, karikomi, to screen it from the viewer below, so that the
enormity of the construction is masked. The lake has an island with a Chinese
style arched bridge of eternity leading over to a pavilion.
Finally when you climb to the top of the hill eyes channelled forward by
another hedge, to stand at the ‘pavilion in the clouds’, the view which is
revealed is quite astonishing. Even though the Emperor had no real power
at that time, the design conceit of using borrowed landscape to such effect
meant that those walking around his landscape were given the illusion that
he owned the land as far as the eye could see. Much of the rest of the landscape
encompasses a model farm which overlooked Kyoto in another direction.
After lunch we will visit Shisendo temple– created around the same time period as Shugakuin as the home and garden of a poet, and now a shrine to poets--where the intimacy of this exquisite garden are in complete contrast to the magnificence of Shugakuin. Our day is completed by a walk up a local street full of lively shops to the Ginkakuji, Silver Pavilion–another elegant villa converted to a temple-- perched on the side of the hill. Its raked sand and Mt Fuji sand mound combined with an elegant verdant hill garden make it an unusual combination of Zen and a walking garden. If you have time, take a look at the Shinto nearby in the woods. Shinto is Japan’s ancient indigenous religion--predating Buddhism which became the state religion in 592. Over the centuries as Buddhism expanded the Japanese never gave up their Shinto beliefs. The fear of invisible forces and the deification of nature through Shinto is a way in which they feel they can tame the supernatural world. They do this every day at home with their domestic shrines and many participate in a mix of rites from several religions.
Day 3
The third day, Sunday, we will take the spotless modern subway to Nijo castle, built in 1603 for the first of the Tokugawa shoguns. Although the castle keep no longer exists, this is a good opportunity to explore the inside of a large residence with its squeaking “nightingale,” floorboards designed to thwart intruders, and its rooms divided by beautifully painted sliding panels.There are a number of gardens within the grounds, some being designed by the famous designer Enshu, as well as very fine stone fortification walls to the moats. The buildings are in complete contrast to the modest buildings of the Emperor and his brother at nearby Katsura and Shugakuin and reflect a more testosterone-driven aesthetic of a fighting man. The best views are from the buildings looking out as the gardens were not designed as stroll gardens. If there is time we will dash across the road to peek at a magnificent cliff and waterfall garden at the ANA Hotel, and perhaps stop for refreshments.
A local bus ride will take us to a special vegetarian lunch in the Daitokuji temple complex where we have the whole afternoon to enjoy the gardens in the smaller sub-temples within the complex. Meat and fish are not eaten by the monks thus the tradition of vegetarian cuisine. This little restaurant is surrounded by a charming garden, imbedded in the temple complex. We then visit the intimate “national treasure” Daisen-in (Great Hermit Temple). There is only 1 monk left here, a sweet dear old man who speaks English, so do talk to him if he is around.
The garden wraps around the small central temple building and was made by the founder Kogaku Shuko between 1509 and 1513. It depicts an idealized landscape scene in Japan: a dry river flows from a series of upright “waterfall” rocks, Mt Horai, through a miniaturised landscape, of beautifully scaled trees shrubs and pebbles past islands and around the building to the south garden consisting of the simple vocabulary of raked white gravel with 2 cone piles and a single tree. The whole design is a copy of an abstract Chinese painting from the Song period and within the temple are examples of these paintings to view. The south garden with its raked sand represents the ocean at the end of the river’s journey or perhaps the serenity attainable through meditation. On the wall is a poem:
Each day in life is training
Training for myself
Living each moment
Equal to anything
Ready for everything
I am alive-I am this moment
My future is here and now
For if I cannot endure todey when and where will I?
SÕEN OZEKI
There are a number of other gardens to see in the Daitoku-ji complex: Koto-in is particularly wonderful in the autumn with its glowing forest of maple trees, which scatter their delicate leaves on the mossy ground. It is entered along a straight path ending in a small window, which allows you a peak into the garden, then the path turns abruptly directing you towards the temple entrance. It is a serene garden of great joy.
Ryugen-in, and Koryu-in are 2 period gardens worth looking at while Zuiho-in is a particularly interesting ‘new’ garden designed by Shigemori Mirei in 1961. Zuiho means ‘blissful mountain’ and its south garden represents the stormy ocean waters which lead into calmer waters of a bay set off by its mountain behind. It is called ‘garden of solitary meditation’ and was designed as a place to sit alone in peace and meditation so that one could become more conscious of one’s place in the world. The inlet bay is depicted with moss, some stepping stones and raked sand. The north garden however is much more curious and known as the ‘garden of the cross’. The temple’s founder Otomo Sorin became a Christian after founding it in 1546 and the combination of the north and south gardens represent the dual nature of his beliefs. However because Christianity was largely an underground movement in Japan and was banned in the 17th century Mirei designed the north garden so that you would only recognise that there was a cross there because you had prior knowledge. Mirei was under considerable pressure to create something powerful and superlative to stand up with the other famous gardens within the Daitoku-ji complex and has succeeded admirably.
Day 4
On Day 4, Monday morning, we will leave the hotel by chartered coach for the Arashiyama area of Kyoto with its pretty river gorge setting. The Japanese come here just to enjoy the beautiful scenery all year round, but it is especially famous for its autumn maple display [like Vermont].
The Tenryuji temple is set within its circle of hills giving shakkei, borrowed landscape, to its gardens. This is the earliest extant example of shakkei, which was to become an important element of many later gardens in Japan. Tenryuji is particularly interesting because Muso Soseki became the first abbot in 1339; (He later designed the Moss Temple). This is a pond garden which uses contemporary Chinese ideas of the time copied from paintings. There are 7 rocks near the shore at the far side of the pond which are particularly Chinese Song Dynasty in character. They appear perfectly composed from any point from within the garden. There is a dry rock waterfall –‘dragon gate waterfall’- depicting the legend that if a carp can climb up it will turn into a dragon and enter heaven. Part way up the fall can be seen a fish. Time permitting, we will briefly pop into a number of the smaller temples nearby, one which has a miniature forest. Following lunch at a local restaurant we go to the famous and fantastic Moss Temple, Saihoji.
A villa and garden were originally created here in the 8th century and later converted to a Jodo-sect temple, but by 1338 it was in need of repair and Muso Soseki was commissioned by the nobleman Fujiwara Chikahide to convert it to a Zen temple. He recreated the gardens with the premise they could be the means to enlightenment through meditation. Many consider this to be the finest garden in Japan and it will leave you with a wonderful feeling of tranquility and spiritual peace, as if you have been in Paradise. Before being allowed in you must be introduced to a Buddhist ritual in the temple and practise brush calligraphy. The act of making the characters is cleansing and cathartic, and gives you a sense of the grace and movement of this important art form in Japan. At Saihoji Soseki created another huge dry waterfall, larger than that at Tenruyji, which is in the woods above the pond garden. Listen for the bamboo “deer scarer” and watch as the length of bamboo fills from the stream then suddenly tips releasing the water and making a haunting hollow note as it hits the stone [note: these devices don’t seem to scare American deer]. We will continue on to the Heian Shrine, an exquisite reproduction Heian-style garden built in1895, and we hope to be able to see glorious autumn foliage. These gardens were designed by Ogawa Jihei and exploited new plants which were coming into Japan at the time. The garden and shrine celebrate the eleven hundredth anniversary of the founding of Kyoto in 792. The buildings are in the Heian (Chinese) style popular at that time, with the main building functioning as a Shinto shrine.
Day 5
On Tuesday, Day 5, we will board a coach to spend the day at the Miho Museum, designed by the Chinese-American architect I.M.Pei, who describes it as an embodiment of two aspects of architecture: a structure standing in nature and at the same time being a part of nature. In the ‘natural’ forest there are wild camellias, azaleas and cherry trees as well as the autumn glowing maples.
The Museum houses a private collection of Asian and Western antiquities, as well as other pieces with an estimated value of between US$300 million to US$1 billion [bought on the world market by the Shumei organisation in the years before the museum was opened in 1997]. There are over two thousand pieces in total, of which approximately 250 are displayed at any one time. In the north wing are the Japanese artifacts. Each exhibit in the Miho Museum was carefully selected as much for its intrinsic beauty as its historical significance, and careful attention is paid to how the collection is displayed. Lunch can be bought in either of the restaurants when it suits you and you are free to return to Kyoto by bus and then train either with the group or at your own leisure. Take time at Kyoto station to admire the bold modern architecture before returning to the hotel, either by taxi or the subway.
Day 6
Wednesday, Day 6, is a National holiday and is also a free day for you to either shop or visit other gardens or museums. We can make suggestions of where you might like to go, and help you organise your day, and you are welcome to accompany Patrick or Kristina to visit special craft shops and markets. Special restaurants and dining options will be explained for your exploration.
Day 7
On Day 7, Thursday, we will visit the Kyoto Botanical Gardens, primarily to look at the Kiku display of chrysanthemums, for it is the annual Chrysanthemum Festival in Japan. There are huge outdoor displays of incredible showy and colourful flowers--all from one species--exhibited in special display pavilions, as well as displays indoors. Most unusual to the Western gardener are the extraordinary bonsai examples: some with their roots growing down the sides of small rocks which look like mountains, exhibiting tiny little perfect flowers while others are more tree like.
Lunch will be at your leisure in the Botanic Garden cafes. We then make a short hop to the Sento Gosho (Imperial Palace Garden) by subway for a 1.30 visit. This is another Imperial garden, part of large formal palace complex geomantically sited [in the Chinese tradition of Xian] within the very center of Kyoto. It was the main residence of retired Emperor Gomizuno and the gardens were created in 1634 by him and Kobori Enshu. The original palace buildings have long since burnt down and the gardens altered from their original concept to be more extensive stroll gardens. The lakes would have originally had elegant boats on them for boating and to carry musicians—and music—through the garden. One lake has a renowned long cobbled beach skirting its shores. It is rumored that the stones were collected and sent to the Emperor individually wrapped in silk.
Across one
of the lakes a stone zig-zag bridge covered with a wisteria trellis focuses
the eye. It is much more relaxed and spacious than Katsura, the trees allowed
to become larger shutting out the hum and skyline of Kyoto which encircles
it.
We would like to suggest that at 4pm you take in a special performance of
a traditional autumn geisha dance (about one hour) as an introduction to
Kyoto’s performing arts. The No and Kabuki theatre could also be available
but performances can be very very long and puzzling so we would only recommend
such theatre to the most intrepid.
Day 8
On Friday, Day 8,we will go by coach to spend the day at Nara, the old capital of Japan, which was superseded by Kyoto in 792 A.D. It is considered the birth place of Japanese civilisation. Though the original Heijo palace complex is merely earthworks, there has been a remarkable garden restoration, based on recent archaeology, of the To-in Teien in the East part of the palace grounds, and it represents the oldest known garden in Japan. A pond with a stream running into it is surrounded by rock strewn beaches and a small tea pavilion sits over part of the pond. There are no subtle pebble beaches here. These are water smoothed cobbles, and one reconstructed garden pavilion.
We go on to the Todaiji Temple which is the largest extant example of Chinese-style wood architecture in Asia, and is dominated by an enormous bronze Buddha inside. Nearby is a beautiful little garden, Isuein, on its outer edge ingeniously using the remaining temple gateway as part of the view out of the garden, adding an extra dimension. There is also a deer park and a lovely wooded area all around the temple, quite a different setting to the other temples we have been seeing.
Day 9
On Day 9, Saturday, our last day to see gardens, a coach will take us to the the famous tea-growing town of Uji, and the fabulous Byodoin Temple and its Phoenix Hall, set on the edge of a small pond. This is the original building from 1052--unusual for the Japanese who tend to rebuild their temples at least 4 times per century—and represents an early form of villa architecture that was set in a “paradise garden.”
Nearby we will experience a tea ceremony and make our way to the Genji Museum [2009 was the 1000 year anniversary of “Tale of Genji.”] After lunch at a local restaurant we will drive to the Fushimi Inari shrine, famous for its tunnels of orange lacquered memorial torii arches, which Patrick is very keen for us all to see. That evening, we will have a farewell dinner at the Ryori Ryokan Yoshikawa restaurant, near our hotel in Kyoto.
On Sunday—Day 10--depending on when your flights leave, you may have time to come to the local outdoor temple Antique market which is held once a month on the first Sunday morning. All sorts of interesting goods, both old and reproduction, including second-hand kimonos are available. [Kristina has a couple of handsome kimonos hanging on her walls at home which she bought here for under $10 each--the cleaning bill came to more!] Our Japanese guide will come along to aid in bargaining.
Extension Tour
Sunday, 7 November, we leave the hotel after lunch for the station and the bullet train to Okayama, west of Kyoto. Here we change to a small train which will take us over the Inland Sea on a series of islands and bridges. Make sure you are in the front carriage for marvellous views looking out through the glass panels of the driver’s windows. We will stay at the Hotel Clement, the station hotel in Takamatsu, the capital of Shikkoku Island.
On Monday—the 8th--a coach will take us to a Bonsai nursery where we can see the range of plants grown, and through our guide talk with the owner. He may also demonstrate how he root prunes his trees. We will continue on to visit Ritsuren Park, the finest public stroll garden in Japan. It lies at the foot of the Purple Cloud Mountain and here we will be able to see clearly how many ideas of Chinese gardens were incorporated into Japanese gardens. For lunch we will eat at a local restaurant in period building which is part of the Shikoku Folk House Museum, a truly fascinating place where buildings from all over the island have been brought and reconstructed. In the afternoon we will have time to explore the old buildings as well as a completely new museum and garden by Tadao Ando on the hill.
Tuesday—the 9th--we will go directly to the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum, one of the most moving places in Japan. Here within this traditional stone-cutting and quarrying community Noguchi, a half American, half Japanese, sculptor set up a studio in the open--a huge earthen platform enclosed by a stone circular wall--along with working shed buildings which he used as his Japanese workshop. Many of his finest sculptures are housed here. We will also have the opportunity to see his folkhouse home and walk up the hill to see his designed landscape—and final resting place--on the hill behind the house. He incorporated a number of ideas from ancient Japanese garden making but given them his own twist. In particular the dry waterfall is interesting as it is placed within a gully, but he uses huge angular stones instead of the more aesthetic stone placement of Enshu, perhaps emphasising uncontrollable forces of nature.
Taking the train from Takamatsu with the delights of a bento box lunch (a sort of Japanese fast food picnic) we hope to stop off in Okayama to look at the garden Korakuen another period stroll garden that is now a public park. It was created in 1687 by the local daimyo, feudal lord and sits across the river from Okayama Castle. The daimyo would have taken a boat to get to his garden. The castle appears as borrowed landscape towering distantly over the pond which represents scenic Lake Biwa (near Kyoto).
The gardens are unusual for having a lot of lawns with tiny channels of water running through. It has model rice fields, a tea plantation and groves of cherry, plum, maple and pine trees. Completely destroyed during WWII it has been restored from local knowledge and archival photographs. At its center is an unusual “floating cups” pavilion with water running through its center, where poetry was created whilst tiny cups of sake floated gently through its midst.
Returning to Osaka by train, you can either stay in Osaka center or at the airport Hotel at Kansai, depending on when your flights leave on Wednesday 10th November. The night street life in Osaka mimics the frenetic mix of Tokyo and will provide an unforgettable contrast to your serene Kyoto visit, and grist for your dream mill on the flight home…