Kyoto Imperial Villas & Gardens - Part I

Today was a day of beauty, stunningly beautiful Japanese gardens and Imperial villas with a Zen Temple thrown in for good measure. I feel blessed to have got see these places on what was a perfect day weather wise. Access to these gardens has to be booked months in advance and they require you to submit your passport and answer all sorts of questions. Kind of like the Japanese version of ‘extreme vetting’, lol

I have my friend Fumi to thank for this and her wonderful organising skills came in handy to fit all four locations into one hectic day. Yes four, the day started with a visit to a water treatment plant... yes thats right but this one was no ordinary plant. Only open to the pubic 4 days every year the whole hillside and expansive gardens are covered in hundreds of immaculately manicured Azalea bushes in every colour you can imagine including some like yellow and deep red that I never knew existed.

Next stop was the Katsura Imperial Villa, probably the highlight of the day. This place was just amazing. I don’t think I have ever seen a more beautiful Japanese garden. One thing I did notice immediately was that these gardens and their vistas are not designed for tall people. To see them as they were intended I had to crouch down, get on one knee or shoot from the hip. It s incredible to think how each view has been planned and composed to provide a sense of beauty and harmony in nature. So much so that even viewing from a slightly elevated angle changes the feel. I have always felt an affinity with the Japanese aesthetic - what they call wabi-sabi - and these gardens are a prime example. Katsura is very much a self contained garden; small but perfectly formed.

Part II to follow...Read more