Gardens in Winter

Given a choice, we of course wouldn't have chosen winter as the time to travel in Japan. The preferred times are spring, when the weather is pleasant and the cherry blossoms are blooming, and fall, when the autumn color displays will dazzle you. Instead we are seeing high temperatures generally in the 40s and lows in the 30s – not exactly comfortable sightseeing weather, especially when all you have to come home to is an old drafty house without central heating. But in the house sitting racket you take the assignments you want when you can get them.

Winter does actually have some advantages, though. The crowds are smaller at the popular sights. The lines are shorter. The prices for hotel rooms (when not house sitting) are considerably less. Kyoto's many beautiful gardens make good use of coniferous trees, which stay green in winter. They also have their share of bare-in-winter deciduous trees, but that can make views possible that would otherwise be blocked by the leafy canopy. And many temples and shrines have moss gardens which thrive in winter.

But we're glad we're here at the end of winter, rather than the middle of it. The temperatures this week have started rising into the 50s, with predictions even for the 60s (!) for a couple of days later this week. The trees are budding up and we're looking forward to being able to venture outside without three or four layers of clothing weighing us down (also an easy way to look instantly thinner, says Deborah).

Here are a few photos taken in the the Arashiyama/Sagano area on the western outskirts of Kyoto (home to the Monkey Park mentioned in the previous post), including some lovely moss gardens.

 Pond at the garden at Tenryu-ji Temple.

 Moss Garden at Tenryu-ji

 Boats on the Katsura River.

 Villa of a late famous silent screen samurai actor.  Its gardens are open for tours.

 The actor in question.  Don't step on his petunias.

 Path through a bamboo grove.

 Moss garden at Gio-ji Temple.

 The same moss garden.

 Geishas or Meikos (apprentice geishas) or tourists who pay to be made up like Geishas.  I suspect the latter but it's hard to know for sure.  Nice to see in any case.