My short history and a 'secret' garden in Kyoto
Hello everyone. I’m Saori and this is my
very first time to write my blog here.
First of all, let me introduce myself a
little bit. I used to live by myself in Kyoto for about 3 years when I was a
student and I absolutely loved living here. After I’d decided to quit the
university though, I found myself with no choice but to go back to my hometown,
Hyogo. I was struggling to find a job there, but nothing went right and nothing
attracted my interest. I was afraid of getting used to this kind of monotonous
life with no stimulation and ending up having to build a life there. As time
went by, I gradually began to have a desire to go back to Kyoto again. That's
when I had my fateful first encounter with J-Hoppers. I happened to find they
had a job vacancy for a night staff at J-Hoppers Kyoto, and I immediately
applied for it. I started working here as a night staff at the end of last year
and I’m grateful that I was lucky enough to get a chance to become a reception
staff ultimately. I’ve never lived abroad nor traveled around the world by
myself, so it’s very stimulating for me to meet many tourists who have
wonderful personality and unique backgrounds. I feel very privileged to be able
to work with lovely and interesting co-workers in this beautiful ancient capital
of Kyoto.
Well, so much for preliminaries.
First of all, let me introduce myself a
little bit. I used to live by myself in Kyoto for about 3 years when I was a
student and I absolutely loved living here. After I’d decided to quit the
university though, I found myself with no choice but to go back to my hometown,
Hyogo. I was struggling to find a job there, but nothing went right and nothing
attracted my interest. I was afraid of getting used to this kind of monotonous
life with no stimulation and ending up having to build a life there. As time
went by, I gradually began to have a desire to go back to Kyoto again. That's
when I had my fateful first encounter with J-Hoppers. I happened to find they
had a job vacancy for a night staff at J-Hoppers Kyoto, and I immediately
applied for it. I started working here as a night staff at the end of last year
and I’m grateful that I was lucky enough to get a chance to become a reception
staff ultimately. I’ve never lived abroad nor traveled around the world by
myself, so it’s very stimulating for me to meet many tourists who have
wonderful personality and unique backgrounds. I feel very privileged to be able
to work with lovely and interesting co-workers in this beautiful ancient capital
of Kyoto. Well, so much for preliminaries.
This time, I’d like to introduce you a
hidden spot that is seldom mentioned in most guidebooks in Kyoto.
Needless to say, there are a number of
famous temples, shines and gardens in this city.However, not much is known about the
Shinsen-en (神泉苑) or "Divine
Spring Garden".Located immediately south of Nijo Castle,
Shinsen-en is the oldest existing garden in Kyoto.
It used to be a very large garden with a pond (about 500m×240m). Unfortunately, its size was dramatically reduced by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who created and solidified the Tokugawa shogunate(known as Edo period) when he build Nijo Castile.
If you are a Japanese history freak, I
guess you've probably heard about Minamotono Yoshitsune, one of the most famous
samurai warriors in the history of Japan. According to the historival legend, Shinsen-en
garden said to be the place where he met Shizukagozen, a beautiful female
dancer who he had fallen in love with.
I’m sure you will catch your breath at the
beautiful sight of cherry blossoms in spring and autumn leaves in fall.
If you’re planning to visit Nijo Castle,
why don’t you get yourselves down to this beautiful garden?
●Shinsen-en Garden
Telephone
:075-821-1466
Business Hours :All day / Open Seven days
Fee :Free
Address:167 Monzen-cho, Oike-dori
Shinsenen-cho higashi-iru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City
*It takes about 30 minutes from Kyoto
station by bus. You can also take JR line or the subway line to get there.
Comments
The very precious pond where Kuukai (the founder of the Shingon section) prayed for rain...
Thanks for the comment!