We had a quite cold weather during the cherry blossom season this year. It's warm today and I love it.
Daikaku-ji (大覚寺), officially called Kyu-Saga Gosho Daikaku-ji Monzeki (旧嵯峨御所大覚寺門跡), is one of my favorite temples in Kyoto. Monzeki means that the head priest of the temple is/was a member of the Imperial family, and the temple is ranked as the highest class in Japan. The Ohsawa no Ike (大沢池) in the premises is a pond where noblemen and royal family members used to hang around back in the the Heian (平安) period, enjoying boating or moon viewing. Still today, the pond conveys the essence of the glorious days of the Heian dynasty to us.
If you are lucky, you will come across famous actors or actresses on their location shooting. It's nice to look up the cherry blossom with the blue sky in the background, but it's also very lovely to watch Hanaikada(花筏), the raft made of fallen cherry petals on the surface of the pond. It's so tasteful to see in the quiet atmosphere of this noble and classy temple. Please try.
Akane Kibune
Access:
20 mins. on foot from Saga-Arashiyama station, JR line
35 mins. on foot from Arashiyama station, Hankyu line
25 mins. on foot from Randen Saga station, Keifuku line
MAP:
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