The best moss garden in Kyoto

I went to Arashiyama (west part of Kyoto city) to visit GIO-JI Temple (祇王寺） for journal Kyoto French issue.

One small rustic house is built in a beautiful moss garden. I think this garden is more beautiful and fresh than Saiho-ji Temple called Moss garden. I recommend you to go there now in this rainy season. The moss is freshly swelled up, and its green is amazingly beautiful. The garden was so fragrant with a wet grass after raining.

Gio-ji Temple is famous for the sad story of one woman named Gio in the Kamakura era. She broke her love with Taira-no-kiyomori who was a famous general, and retired here with her mother and sister. Now, this temple is belonging to Daikaku-ji Temple, Shingon Buddhist sect. You can come here on foot through a famous bamboo forest. It takes about 15 minutes from Arashiyama Stn. of Randen line or JR Saga-Arashiyama Stn. It's a nice path in the beginning of summer.

ジャーナルキョウトの仏語版の取材で嵯峨にある祇王寺に行ってきました。いい、いいと聞いていましたが、百聞は一見にしかず！美しい苔のお庭に本当に感動しました。嵐山はちょっと遠いので、そう頻繁には来ませんが、小倉山のこの辺りは、さすが昔の人達が和歌を詠んだはずだ！と納得するほどの美しさと憂いを帯びた場所です。そういえば、英語俳句の先生のStephen さんもこの辺りに住んでいました。。和歌や俳句が自然と生まれてくるのでしょう。梅雨の今頃が苔が雨でぬれて生き生きとして、訪れるのにいい時期だと思います。駅から竹林を抜けて歩いてくる途中も気持ちがいい。おススメです！