The hermitage of Shinsedo 詩仙堂

25th December 2008, 10C, Cloudy with occasional rain

In the afternoon we visited Shinsendo, located at the foot of northern Higashimaya. The simple rustic gate welcomed us with a slightly ascending stone path shaded with bamboo groves at both sides. The mansion is established by Jozan Ishikawa, a scholar of Chinese classics but also a landscape architect. The sky just breaks out with late afternoon sun shine after a short rain shower, the after rain myth makes the scenery from the viewing platform even more surreal, beautiful and incomprehensible. There is hardly any visitor when we arrived and thus we have the entire viewing platform and complete for ourselves.

Despite of the fact that all the maple leaves are already fallen, the early winter garden scenes are still very eye capturing and soothing to the soul.
Shinsendo, my best place in Kyoto so far.