Kyoto
Ancient capital of Japan
The old Imperial Palace, the Gosho
The
Shugakuin, Imperial Detached Villa
Not as frequently
visited as Ryoanji or Katsura, this is in my opinion one of the most elegant
gardens in Japan. It is designed to be experienced like a pilgrimage. One
begins by approaching a series of clipped hedges on a hill. One then enters
these hedges and go up on steps, has a view of only the sky and the hedges
along the side. Once at the top there is a view of the entire garden and then
one winds down the path. Looking across the lake, one has a view as though
of a distant shore with what are the mountains of Kyoto in the background.
AS one walks across to the other side, the illusion is that one has now approached
that previously distant shore more closely.