Lighting up in Arashiyama

We can see Arashiyama, Togetsukyo Bridge, and the bamboo grove lighten up until December 17th. There are a lot of lanterns along the roads. They are on from 17:00 to 20:30.

Koryu-ji and Kaiko-no-yashiro in Uzumasa

Uzumasa is now famous for  movie studios,  but it is  an old town with a long history.
The history of Uzumasa started in 5th century when Hata clan came from Korean Peninsula and settled in the north-west area of Kyoto.
The Hata clan were very good at making silk products, and introduced the civil engineering and construction, sake brewing and other developed techniques to Japan.
There is a mystery about where Hata clan came from. Though they came from Korean Peninsula, it is said that they might come from China, or even  much farther, from Middle East countries.

Koryu-ji Temple is  in front of Randen  Uzumasa Koryu-ji Station. This temple was founded by Hata Kawakatsu who was the leader of Hata clan in 7th century. He assisted  the sovereign act of Prince Shotoku-taishiin in Asuka period.
It is ssid that the major sacred statue, Miroku-bosatsu was given to Hata Kawakatsu by Shotoku-taishi.
Now we can see the statue and the statue of Shotoku-taishi in Koryu-ji.

There is aother place which is associated with Hata clan near Randen Kaiko-no-Yashiro Station. It’s formal name is Kono-shimanimasu-Amaterasu-mitama Shrine, but commonly it’s called Kaiko-no-Yashiro(=Silkworm Shrine). Hata clan were very good at producing silk from silkworms, so they built the shrine to offer their thanks to silkworms.
This shrine is famous for its mysterious ”torii” with three pillars. Most of toriis have only two pillars. We don’t know why this torii has three pillars. Some people say that
it is the evidence of that Hata clan came from the Middle East, because three pillars mean  Trinity, the ancient Christian doctrine; or the above view of  the torii is similar to the David’s Star of the Israel Kingdom. This might be a far fetched theory, but is still  interesting and full of mysteries.

the formal name of the shrine, Konoshimanimasu-Amaterasu-mitama Shrine

Buildings are very old and made of wood.

The torii with three pillars are in the dark woods and retained the ancient atmosphere 

Three-pillared torii

Spanish Restaurant, Barraca in Karasuma-oike

We went to Karasuma-oike to  have lunch at Paella ＆Grill Barraca.
The restaurant is about 10-minutes walk from Karasuma-oike Subway Station.
They serve tasty and reasonable Spanish meal. We had lunch course(2000 yen), including appetizers, soup, codfish meuniere, paella, and dessert.
The restaurant was very comfortable and we enjoyed having lunch there.

appetizers

carrot soup

codfish meuniere

chestnuts and duck paella

cheese cake

The interior of the restaurant is very lovely.

Jo jakko -ji in Sagano

We can enjoy beautiful autumnal leaves
at  Jojakko-ji in Sagano.
There are many maple trees on the slope of Mt. Ogura.If you go up to the top of the steps, you can see the Kyoto city and many autumnal leaves of the maple trees at the same time from there.
 There were a lot of people today in the gsrden of Jojakko-ji, but I could take beautiful photos of autumnal leaves.

Arashiyama Today

Arashiyama is very beautiful with red and yellow autumn leaves today!

Autumnal Leaves in Saga Arashiyama

Maple leaves in Arashiyama were beginning to change colors into red last weekend.
 Mt. Arashiyama is going to change its color into red and yellow within a week.

The maple leaves  in the garden of Tenryu-ji

Temple had already become red last weekend.
You should go to Arashiyama to enjoy viewing beautiful autumnal leaves this weekend! 

Tenryu-ji and Togetsukyo Bridge area  is always very crowded, so if you want to enjoy viewing autumnal leaves with much less visiters, you should go to Jojakko-ji, Gio-ji in the north-west part of Saga Arashiyama, and Seiryo-ji and Daikaku-ji in the north part of Saga Arashiyama.

Sogenchi Garden in Tenryuji

Sogenchi Garden

Osawa Pond in the precinct of Daikaku-ji

autumnal leaves in Jojakko-ji

Moss art in Jojakko-ji

Daikaku-ji in Sagano

In Daikaku-ji, we can see Hannya Shinkyo sutra copied by Emperor Saga 1200 years ago, until November 30, 2018.
Emperor Saga was the son of Emperor Kammu who moved the capital of Japan to Kyoto, then called Heiankyo,in 794.
 The emperor established the basis of Heian culture. There was an epidemic in Kyoto 1200 years ago. Emperor Saga felt very sorry not to stop the epidemic. He asked Kukai, the eminent priest who founded the Buddhism sect, Shingon-shu, the advice.
Kukai adviced him to copy Hannya Shinkyo sutra to stop the epidemic. Following the advice, Emperor Saga copied the sutra, and it is said that the epidemic would be stopped.
This scroll of the sutra was enshrined into the closed  temple. After that, the sutra has been only open to emperors and some priests every sixty yesrs, but not open to the public until this year.
So,  this sutra is open to the public now  for the first time in these 1200 years.
 You can see this special and holy sutra until the end of November in Daikakuji Temple!

In Daikakuji Temple, there were many Saga Giku (chrysanthemum flowers) to commemorate the 1200anniversary of the foundation of the flower arrangement.
It is said that Saga-ryu, the flower arrangement school, was founded by  Emperor Saga  1200 years ago by picking two chrysanthemum flowers and put them on the alcove of his imperial villa.

Rokuo-in Temple with Autumnal Leaves

  Rokuo-in temple is located in the neighborhood of Saga Arashiyama,

near Rokuo-in Station of Randen Railway.
  The temple was founded by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu who founded Kinkaku-ji(金閣寺), the golden temple.It has an inn,where only women can stay and sometimes join the morning office.
There are many maple trees in the precincts of the temple, and their leaves were beginning to  change colors into red.

I’m planning to stay there , so I’ll give  a report of my stay in near future.

Autumnal Leaves in Arashiyama

The leaves of maple trees were beginning to turn red. I went to Jojakko-ji and  Tenryu-ji.
The leaves haven’t fully turned red, but they were beautiful with the backgroud of
the temples.

  We can see the whole city from the high ground of  Jojakko-ji.

The gradations of color were fantastic! 

 The leaves in Tenryuji Temple were also beginning to change colors.Sogenchi Garden(the garden laid out by Muso Soseki, the eminent Zen master, 700 years ago) in the temple site, was very beautiful with autumnal leaves.