The SHIGEMORI Mirei Garden Museum

Feel the seashore

It was on a cold winter day in Kyoto. I had applied for the visit to the Garden Museum where the gardens and the tea ceremony room SHIGEMORI designed can be seen. I kind of love the places for which you have to make a reservation in advance. I saw the similarity between the larger garden I saw on that day and the garden at Kamoizumi Brewery in Saijo, Higashi-hiroshima where I live. These gardens were made in the same period of time, in the middle of the 20th century by SHIGEMORI. The flat brownish stones and white gravels make an interesting seashore in both gardens. The design of the sliding doors reminded me of that of the Katsura Detached Palace.

After the visit to the museum near Kyoto University, I walked around Yoshida Shrine, which looks like a backyard of the university, and Shin-nyo-do, where I happened to go inside the halls and see clean refined temple rooms, drawings on the sliding doors, and two impressive gardens. I'm so glad I spontaneously decided to pay for the visit. The temple person sounded very kind and warm. He and other staff members talk to the visitors. So good to have a house tour with a friendly guide who talks well.

You can walk more around there. Ginkaku-ji temple and other places along the Philosopher's Walk is not so far away. I'd love to go back and walk more.

On this URL are the photos of the garden museum. Enjoy.