Category / Flowers and Gardens / Japan / Kansai / Kyoto / Temples and Shrines
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Heian Shrine and Gardens
On the 1,110th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto, which was once known as Heian, a shrine was built to mark the occasion. Heian Shrine is dedicated to the spirits of the…
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The Mohri Residence and Garden
In the middle of Yamaguchi’s southern coastline lies Hofu. The city is one of the prefecture’s most populous and was once home to the lords of the Choshu Domain―the Mohri clan. The…
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A Hidden Wonderland: The Lee Memorial Garden
Tucked away in a wooded area of New Canaan, Connecticut is a spot so beautiful it’s hard to believe it’s still relatively unknown. The Olive and George Lee Memorial Garden is a…
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Inside the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The glass-enclosed tunnel leading out from the New Wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a portal through time, transporting visitors to a 1903 Venetian-style palace. The 4-storey residence, located in…
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Hitoyoshi Cherry Blossoms
On the first weekend of April, Austin and I were out hiking in the north of Nobeoka when all of a sudden it began to snow. Snow! In April! I shouldn’t have…
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Takanabe Sunflower Festival
At different times in my life, August has either represented the approaching autumn, or the coming spring. And as if to echo those transitions, it has marked my most exciting beginnings and…
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In Pictures: Miyazaki Cherry Blossoms
“Cherry blossoms in spring, they mean everything…” coos the Night Beds’ Winston Yellen on the sixth track of Country Sleep. A truer line could never be sung for Japan. Here, cherry blossoms are…
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The Garden of Love
In Shintomi Town, on the road from Takanabe to Saito, is a garden carpeted in bright, pink flowers. During spring, when the shibazakura (moss phlox) is in full bloom, the private residence…
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Ajisai and the Plum Rains
Due to the stubborn Mei-yu front, most of East Asia experiences a two-month rainy season. During June and July, the weeks become an endless parade of cloudy days, accompanied by debilitating humidity and, if you’re…
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Senganen Garden and the Cat Shrine
“This… is so wonderful that I don’t know how to express it,” said British diplomat Harry Smith Parkes of his sojourn at Senganen in 1866. “Anyone who visits there must be stricken by a desire…
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Road Trippin’ Solo, Part 1: Kuju Flower Park
Two years ago, I would have never considered disappearing into the countryside for 4 days by myself. Growing up in a city where danger is perceived to be lurking around every corner, having backup…
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