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After living here for years, I finally visited Shugakuin Imperial Villa in northeastern Kyoto. Last year, friends from Singapore went on a tour of the villa and loved it, but they were surprised that we had never made a visit. We had heard about it, of course, and had walked along the perimeter many times with a friend who lives in the area. However, since you need to apply to visit, it just never happened. Our friends' enthusiasm finally prompted us to make the trip and so on a very cold, windy day in mid-November, off we went. Despite the chilly weather, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit! The gardens were spectacular, and the views were breathtaking. We could even see Harukas, located in southern Osaka, in the far distance! Shugakuin Imperial Villa is known as a "detached palace," which translates to "imperial villa." It covers 133 acres and includes three separate gardens that are considered cultural treasures. There are no large buildings; most of the structures are teahouses. The villa is managed by the Imperial Household Agency, and an application is required to participate in the 90-minute tour. For more information, visit the official webpage: https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/shugakuin.html (The video on the webpage is the one that visitors watch while they wait for the tour to begin.)  The view from the beginning of the tour. Those are sheaves of rice drying rice in the field, and you can see Kyoto in the distance.  View from the Upper Villa looking out over the hills of Kyoto Prefecture. Apparently, this view has not changed in 400 years.  Boat house, pond and garden, Upper Villa  Garden, pond and teahouse, Upper Villa (The photo of the view from the Upper Villa was taken from the teahouse on the far left.)  Fall foliage, Upper Villa
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Last Saturday, I joined a group of friends and walked along the Philosopher's Path in eastern Kyoto. I was a bit hesitant, to be honest. The day was cloudy, the trees were not at their best, and weekends in Kyoto are usually a zoo of people. However, off we went... To my surprise, it was a lovely walk! There weren't many people about, so we leisurely wandered along the path, enjoying the stream and the various shops and sights along the way. On our way back, we took a detour which led to my first visit to Honen-in Temple, a Buddhist temple tucked away east of the path. If you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit! Honen-in Temple (Discover Kyoto)  The thatched gate at Hoen-in, Kyoto  Camellia blossoms and stone basin, Honen-in, Kyoto I have already posted two blogs about my toad lilies and have many more photos of additional varieties growing in my garden. However, I will end with these. All three are quite unusual due to their subdued colours and minimal speckling. Ah, I love them all! (If you want to see more, visit the Photo Gallery page.)  Long stems with small blooms growing directly from the stem. White with no speckles. Fussy.  Long stems with branches of medium-sized blooms. White with small speckles. Hardy.  Long stems with multiple branches of medium-sized blooms. Pastel purple with light speckling. Hardy. In my previous post, I mentioned that there are many varieties of toad lilies in my garden. The most numerous is the "futsu" (common or ordinary) variety, which has lovely speckled purple blooms. The other varieties are all in containers, with some requiring a lot of attention and others none at all. They don’t all bloom at the same time, but this fall I've made an effort to photograph the blooms of each variety. Enjoy! (Of these four, the most unusual toad lily is the yellow one in the third photo.)  Long stems with large blooms growing directly from the stem. White with purple mostly towards the center with yellow details. Hardy.  Long stems with multiple branches of blooms. White with large purple speckles. Hardy.  Low growing. Large yellow blooms with speckles. Fussy.  Long stems with multiple branches of blooms. Vivid purple on the ends of alternative petals. Hardy. I'm a bit of a fool for toad lilies. I had never heard of them before coming to Japan but I've been addicted for many years now. I have many varieties in my garden (15?) and I'm always on the lookout for more. Since toad lilies are indigenous to Japan, they thrive despite the extreme summer heat (as long as they aren't in direct sunlight) and the cold winters. Nor are they bothered by the rainy season or the dry summers and pests and diseases largely leave them alone. But best of all, most of my varieties bloom profusely, and I can enjoy their array of colours and shapes for at least a month. Overall, they are a plant-them-and-forget-them type of addition to my garden, returning year after year to fill my garden with colour. Yes, that's my kind of plant! The photos below are what I consider "futsu" (ordinary/common) toad lilies. These are the kind I was first introduced to and bought for my garden. (It's not easy to find toad lilies for sale. I buy mine at farmers' markets or roadside markets out in the country.) This variety grows throughout my garden, thriving whether they’re in the ground or in pots.  Toad lilies growing along side the fence, Osaka, Japan  Toad lilies growing in a pot in my garden, Osaka, Japan |
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I'm a photographer based in Osaka, Japan. I like to share.
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