There are places I love in Kyoto in suburb residential areas.
These are imperila villas called "Rikyu," which means "detached palaces."
One in Katsura, another in Shugakuin.

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Katsura Rikyu is a picturesque place with well-designed architecture and gardens.
Buildings in the property are all traditional Japanese style, but it is also modern, and the details are exquisitely stylish.
There are many points of interest.
It is very fortunate that a major repair project was carried out in the 1970s, and we can visit this beauty for another while.　
After the visit, review it in the photo books at Tamao.
A different impression awaits you.

On the other hand, there is another detached palace in the opposite direction from Katsura.
It is called Shugakuin Rikyu.
Although access to this place is also not so easy, the magnificent villa, which was built by making good use of the topography, refreshes my heart every time I visit.
The villa overlooks the cityscape of Kyoto, and the fields on the grounds are also a rarity.　
It is said that Emperor Gomizuo, who built this detached palace, loved the scenery of people farming as part of the natural landscape.　
Even today, farmers in the neighborhood grow rice and vegetables.　
Walking along the pine-lined path, you can feel the changing of the seasons in the terraced rice paddies spread to the left and to the right.
Sigh.......................................

There are many sights to see in each of these palaces.　
They are different from temples and shrines, and there is almost no religious flavor to them.　
The tour is guided by a person from the Imperial Household Agency.　
I strongly recommend that you visit several times during different seasons and at different times of the day, as the information you will get differs depending on the guide.
Also, you cannot walk around freely.　
You will be taken on a group tour so coordination is required.
If you are at the end of the que of tour group and taking your time for pictures,
you will feel the silent pressure of the Imperial Palace police.　
He has a mission to close the gate behind him after the tour guide's explanation at each view point to encourage visitors to move on and prevent them from going backward without permission.
So you must be mentally strong or unable to read the atmosphere to take pictures to your heart's content.
As a result, you will still have to go visit several times.　
But it is worth it.
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The decoration common to both palaces is a blue checkered pattern.　
In Katsura, it is a square checkerboard, and in Shugakuin, it is diamond-shaped.　
I am in love with this sense of style...