TOFUKUJI TEMPLE IN COLORS

TOFUKUJI TEMPLE IN COLORS

Tsuten-kyo bridge over Autumn leaves

The main purpose of people visiting Kyoto in autumn is to see the turning leaves.
There are many temples in Kyoto that are famous for their autumn colors, including Takao area, Eikando temple, Bishamondo temple, and many others.

Tofukuji Temple is one of them.
The view of the maple trees in the valley from the Tsuten-kyo Bridge is wonderful and attracts many visitors.
It is so crowded and dangerous that taking pictures on the bridge is sometimes prohibited during this season.

The best season for me, however, is the season of fresh greenery.
During the G20 Summit in Osaka in 2019, it was chosen as a destination for the “spouse program,” and the wife of the then Prime Minister took the wives of the leaders of the participating countries here, which was an excellent choice.
The ladies enjoyed the green maple leaves in May.
The greenery spreading out below from the Tsuten-kyo Bridge has a different flavor from that of temples along the mountains.

The geometric patterns in the Honbo garden are mysterious and artistic. It is a beautiful garden, old and new. The checkerboard pattern of the garden and the Big Dipper made of stone pillars give you a sense of the "eternal modernity" created by the gardener Mirei Shigemori.
The garden is like a mass of charms that people who have visited it once cannot help but revisit. 
It is also interesting to note that these gardens were created by recycling the waste materials in the monastery based on the Zen teaching of "no waste at all.” 
Although this condition must have given a hard time to Shigemori, the Honbo garden proves that it is possible to create something bold and new from the old with an understanding of tradition.

microcosm

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