Wednesday 12 December 2007

Japanese autumn



Is it too late to talk about autumn?
Oh, well, never mind! I can't help talking about this place.

I visited a templed called 廣誠院 (Kou-sei-in temple) on December 1st.

This traditional Japanese house is just behind Kyoto Kyoto Hotel Okura.
This year we had very warm autumn, so it was the best time to see
coloured leaves in Kyoto. (Normally it's the middle of November.)




Can you believe it? When I entered the state room (大広間),

this scenery came into my eyes!!



This temple, built in 1892, used to be a villa of Kanetsune Ijuin.
He was Samurai before Meiji restoration, but after that became a businessman.
You can imagine how rich he was when you know he kept building more than 10 houses and villas! He only lived in this house for 4 years. What a happy man!!



The state room faces a pond. As the floor is raised, I felt this room was in the air.



This house has a very small room for tea ceremony. And it also looks like floating in the air.




The scenery from the circle window in the tea room was astonishing...

We can only enjoy the colour of autum for about 1 week at a place. So we feel it's precious and that's why we love it, isn't it?





I wouldn't forget these sceneries for many, many years to come.