Going back to round out my posts about my first visit to the Hosen-in Temple (宝泉院) in Kyoto's mountain suburb of Ohara last fall, today's post picks up after parts two and three.

The path from the main road is flanked by stalls selling all manner of snacks. These senbei were pretty and, according to Damien and Paul who accompanied me on this trip, tasty; I generally shy away from carbs, so I photographed rather than ate...

We got off that main path and took a back route through village streets that Damien knew, freeing ourselves from the crowded path [...]

I'm not sure what's with the bull near the entrance of the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮), but people come up to rub its snout.... perhaps for good luck, I suppose.

Yesterday's post was about the temple's plum orchard, but there's plenty to see in the free open areas of the shrine. The tree near the bull is the closest to the entrance, so I usually start my visit there.

I actually can't always tell the difference among the blossoms (plum, peach, apricot, and cherry). There might be some peach here, I dunno. Lots of variety...

This shrine allows tripods, quiet [...]

As I mentioned in my previous post, the plum is starting to bloom in Kyoto. One of the famous spots for it is the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮), which has a large orchard that you can visit for 600 yen (about US$7). It's not worth paying to see the orchard yet, though, because the blossoms are pretty sparse. I got my calendar confused, so paid to go in...

Close ups on individual branches are still fruitful, but you can get plenty of that in the free open area of the shrine. It's when the orchard is brimming with blossoms that [...]

Last autumn I finally made my first visit to the sprawling mountainside Shugakuin Imperial Villa in north-east Kyoto. It's one of three imperial (connected with the Emperor of Japan) sites in Kyoto that you can visit via reservation, but reservations can be difficult to come by. For example, other than a few time slots next month, every online reservation slot is already full through the end of May.

However, foreigners can stop by the Imperial Household Agency office (on the grounds of the imperial-palace park, here) to pick up a near-term reservation if any have opened up. If you're lucky [...]

Picking up from part 1 and part 2 about my trip to the Housen-in Temple (宝泉院) in the Ohara mountain district of Kyoto last fall, we moved from the temple and its maple/moss garden, to a separate rock garden...

The weather alternated between light rain and brilliant sun... the gloominess seen above was suddenly replaced by intense sun, which lit up the moss and leaves near this gnarled (overly pruned) bush....

The tsukubai (water basin for ritual purification) is a particular focus point in this garden of many focus points...

It's a bit too much for my taste when viewed [...]