Momijigari with Elizabeth Rose - Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto
Sometime during our autumn 2016 trip in Kyoto, we dropped by the Imperial Household Agency's office to book a tour for the Shugakuin Imperial Villa, and while doing that we also decided to do the same for Sentō Imperial Palace.
The palace grounds are located within Kyoto Imperial Palace Park (which we also visited), and actually comprise of 2 palaces: Sentō Imperial Palace itself, and the Ōmiya Imperial Palace.
Sentō Imperial Palace (仙洞御所; Sentō Gosho) was formerly the palace for retired Emperors (referred to as Daijō Tennō or Jōkō), and the corresponding Ōmiya Palace (大宮御所) was for Empress Dowagers (referred to as Kōtaigō). Sentō was built for the retired Emperor Gō-Mizunoo in 1627-1630. (The same Emperor for which Shugakuin was also constructed.)
At the same time that Sentō was constructed, the Nyoin Palace constructed, north of Sentō, for empress consort Tofukumon'in (originally named Tokugawa Masako, as mentioned in the Shugakuin post). Later, structures from the Nyoin Palace were moved to Shugakuin (as mentioned elsewhere). Subsequently, both were destroyed in the fire on May 1854, Sentō was not rebuilt as there had been no retired emperor at the time.
Sentō's original, official name was Sakuramachiden (桜町殿). The name "Sentō" (仙洞) originally referred to the home of sages or saints (仙人; "xian ren" in Chinese, "sennin" in Japanese). It was believed in ancient Chinese culture or myths that an enlightened person lived in seclusion, away from the mundane and/or secular world. As the Japanese Emperor generally withdrew from court politics once he abdicated, his residence came to be referred to as Sentō Imperial Palace. In reality, of course, retired Emperors (and Empress Dowagers) continued to wield great influence over the court.
When we enter through the Seimon of Sentō Imperial Palace, the first structure that comes in view is the distinctive three-gabled Okurumayose (御車寄), which is the entrance to the Ostunegoten of the Ōmiya Palace.
The Ōmiya Palace (大宮御所) was re-built in 1867 as a residence for the Empress Dowager Eishō (英照皇太后; 1835-1897), the empress consort of Emperor Kōmei and official mother of the Emperor Meiji. (The Emperor Meiji's birth mother was the Lady Nakayama Yoshiko (中山慶子; 1836-1907), a lady-in-waiting and the concubine of the Emperor Kōmei.) The Ōmiya Palace is still used by members of the Imperial family in present times.
The Otsunegoten (御常御殿) was where the Empress Dowager Eishō lived. In 1922, its interior was renovated into the Western-style, to order to receive the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII of the UK, when he visited Japan on a state visit. We were informed that the building is used by the Imperial family when they stay at Sentō during royal visits.
Opposite the Otsunegoten is the Shōchikubai garden, so named because it is planted with pine, bamboo and plum trees. These 3 plants are called "松竹梅" - "shōchikubai" in Japanese, a transliteration of the Chinese "song zhu mei". (松 = pine; 竹 = bamboo; 梅 = plum)
Actually, the combination of these 3 plants are one of my favourites because of what they represent. They known as the Three Friends of Winter in East Asian culture. (歳寒三友 = "sui han san you" in Chinese, transliterated into "saikan no sanyū" in Japanese.) The Three Friends of Winter originated in Chinese culture, and is said to have come from the writings of a Song dynasty loyalist, Lin Jingxi (林景熙, 1242-1310):
Because they do not wither (but flourish) during winter, they symbolise endurance, strength and resilience (or steadfastness, perseverance and resilience, or purity, longevity and flexibilty). They are seen as an allegory for weathering difficult times. In modern-day Japan, these 3 plants continue to be very popular, especially during Shōgatsu, because they are considered auspicious symbols.
After this was the tour around Sentō Imperial Palace proper. Most of what remains of Sentō are the gardens surrounding the North and South Ponds, and 2 teahouses, the Seikatei and Yūshintei.
First stop of Sentō Imperial Palace was the North Pond (北池), viewed from its western shore.
The guide highlighted the island at the east of the North Pond, said to add a depth of perspective to the view when viewed from the western end. To me, the island just makes the pond look quite large.
The guide said that just above the trees at the east end of the North Pond, the top of the distant Higashiyama mountains could be seen. I squinted pretty hard, and there is a teensy hint of them, appearing as a misty violet splotch between the trees....
From the west shore, we could also see the boat landing (right of picture above), which was where the courtiers, etc would get on/off the boats that would float around the pond.
The concept of Shakkei is also clearly used in the garden's design. The designer of the garden was Kobori Enshū (小堀 遠州; 1579-1647), a Japanese aristocrat who was renowned for his landscape designs during Tokugawa Ieyasu's time. (He is also credited with designing the famed garden at the Dai-Hōjō of Nanzenji, which we later visited during this trip.)
The tour route continued northwards, and along the way, we see the Momijibashi (紅葉橋), which is sort of the dividing point between the North and South Ponds. Next to the Momijibashi is the Momijiyama (紅葉山), where there were maples aplenty!
At the northwestern side of the North Pond, we crossed the Rokumaibashi (六枚橋), a simple bridge of 6 stone slabs (which, unfortunately, I didn't photograph it). Near the Rokumaibashi is the Akosegafuchi (阿古瀬淵), an old pond that existed on the palace grounds before its construction. The guide explained that how the name "Akosegafuchi" came about is unknown, but that a possible explanation was that the name came from "Akokuso", the childhood name of Ki no Tsurayuki (紀 貫之; 827-945), the Heian period poet and courtier best known for his waka poetry and also the principle compiler of the Kokin Wakashū (「古今和歌集」). The Kokin Wakashū was an early Imperial anthology of waka poetry compiled during the Heian era by 4 court poets, led by Ki no Tsurayaki.
The tour route continued around the North Pond, heading southwards, through the island in the North Pond, and through the Saginomori (鷺の森; literally "Heron Forest").
The tour route continued through the Saginomori, and we got to the Momijibashi (紅葉橋), the bridge which crosses the point where the North Pond meets the South Pond. So we all passed through the Momijibashi, and down the pathway through the Momijiyama (紅葉山).
The sight that was spread out before our eyes when we crossed the Momijibashi was truly beautiful. Momijiyama was full of maple trees, still clad in brilliant autumn foliage, and many fallen leaves (still vividly coloured) dotted the moss-covered ground.
Some large maples, still in blazing red, sheltered the gravel path that led us around the South Pond.
From the Momijibashi was a lovely view of the Yatsuhashi (八ツ橋), a zigzag stone bridge with a wisteria trellis. The Yatsuhashi was built in 1895, and is the most elaborate and beautiful of all the bridges in Sentō Imperial Palace.
As I rounded the southwestern corner of the South Pond, the view of the Yatsuhashi with this large maple by the shore was probably one of my favourite views at Sentō Imperial Palace.
Further along the path down the west shore of the South Pond, I looked back towards the Momijibashi. A pity that a number of the maples flanking the bridge had already shed their autumn leaves, but it was still a pretty sight.
I was just thinking about how beautiful the place would also look in the springtime, when the wisteria on the Yatsuhashi and the azaleas around the garden are in bloom....
The guide highlighted to us that the broad expanse of stones covering the western and southern shore of the South Pond is called the Suhama (洲浜), a curved "seashore" comprising of more than 111,000 fist-sized oblong stones called Isshōseki (一升石).
These stones had been collected by Ōkubo Tadazane (大久保 忠真; 1782-1837), the 7th daimyō of the Odawara Domain and 37th Kyoto Shoshidai, from Yoshihama beach in present-day Yugawara, a town in the Kanagawa Prefecture. The stones had been transported to Kyoto via sea, and presented to Emperor Gō-mizunoo who gave 1 shō ("isshō") of rice per stone - hence the name Isshōseki. (Shō is a unit of measurement in the traditional Japanese system of measurement. 1 shō (一升) is about 0.5 US gallons. There are 111,000 of these stones spread over the Suhama... so around 55,500 gallons of rice?!)
The tour route took us through the Yatsuhashi, which connects the west shore of the South Pond to Nakajima (中島), the island in the middle of the South Pond.
From the Yatsuhashi were views of the Momijibashi and Momijiyama, as well as the Odaki Waterfall (雄滝) which flows from the Saginomori.
The Yatsuhashi leads to Nakajima (中島), the island in the middle of the South Pond. From there were lovely views of the surrounding shores of the South Pond.
As we crossed the arched stone bridge connecting Nakajima to the east shore of the South Pond, we glimpsed a lovely view of the south end of the South Pond, where the Seikatei (醒花亭) is located. In view was also Yoshijima (葭島), another small rocky islet in the South Pond.
The tour route took us to the Seikatei (醒花亭), one of the 2 remaining buildings at Sentō Imperial Palace at the south end of the South Pond. The Seikatei is a kokerabuki (柿葺) teahouse. It was named after a poem by Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai (李白; 701-762), one of the most prominent Chinese poets during what is considered to be China's Golden Age.
Inside the Seikatei hangs a wooden tablet, beginning with the poem in question, in calligraphy by Ming dynasty Guo Zizhang (郭子章):
Seikatei was possibly constructed according to the principle of santenshiki (三店式), i.e. "three stores" (liquor, food and tea), with each room being used as one of the 3 stores. However, it was also possible that the Seikatei, together with the Shishisai and Kansuitei (which no longer exist), constituted the three stores.
From the Seikatei is another great view of the South Pond - with the Yatsuhashi, Nakajima, the arched stone bridge, and the curve of the Suhama.
The tour route headed northwards, along the Suhama, back towards the direction of the Yatsuhashi.
Along the way was the Kakinomoto-yashiro (柿本社), a small Shinto shrine dedicated to Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (柿本人麻呂), a famed Japanese waka poet and aristocrat in the late Asuka period. Many of his poems were included in the Man'yōshū (万葉集), the oldest existing anthology of Japanese poetry, which was compiled in the 8th century.
The final stop along the tour route is the Yūshintei (又新亭), at the southwestern corner of the North Pond. The garden of the Yūshintei is separated from the garden of Sentō Imperial Palace by a trellis, and an inner gate.
The Yūshintei is the 2nd remaining building in Sentō Imperial Palace. The Yūshintei was a gift from the Konoe (近衛) family in 1884, to replace the previous teahoouse, the Shishisai (止々斎), which had been burnt down. The building itself has a thatch and shingle roof, and a single large round window. In its garden, there was a separate, outdoor seat with an arbor, called the Sotokoshikake (外腰掛), literally meaning the outside seat of Yūshintei. Unfortunately I was not paying attention, and missed taking a photo of it. (There are some photos on the Imperial Household Agency webpage.)
From the Yūshintei, the tour guide led us back out through the gate at the Otsunegoten, through the Shōchikubai garden, and back to the waiting room.
Overall, Hubby and I really enjoyed our visit to Sentō Imperial Palace. The pace was a lot quicker than Shugakuin Imperial Villa, and the security attendants were less patient too, but it was still a very good experience. The gardens were beautiful, and the atmosphere was relatively relaxing and tranquil. I would actually return for a tour again!
 |
| Elizabeth Rose at the Seimon of Sentō Imperial Palace |
The palace grounds are located within Kyoto Imperial Palace Park (which we also visited), and actually comprise of 2 palaces: Sentō Imperial Palace itself, and the Ōmiya Imperial Palace.
Sentō Imperial Palace (仙洞御所; Sentō Gosho) was formerly the palace for retired Emperors (referred to as Daijō Tennō or Jōkō), and the corresponding Ōmiya Palace (大宮御所) was for Empress Dowagers (referred to as Kōtaigō). Sentō was built for the retired Emperor Gō-Mizunoo in 1627-1630. (The same Emperor for which Shugakuin was also constructed.)
At the same time that Sentō was constructed, the Nyoin Palace constructed, north of Sentō, for empress consort Tofukumon'in (originally named Tokugawa Masako, as mentioned in the Shugakuin post). Later, structures from the Nyoin Palace were moved to Shugakuin (as mentioned elsewhere). Subsequently, both were destroyed in the fire on May 1854, Sentō was not rebuilt as there had been no retired emperor at the time.
Sentō's original, official name was Sakuramachiden (桜町殿). The name "Sentō" (仙洞) originally referred to the home of sages or saints (仙人; "xian ren" in Chinese, "sennin" in Japanese). It was believed in ancient Chinese culture or myths that an enlightened person lived in seclusion, away from the mundane and/or secular world. As the Japanese Emperor generally withdrew from court politics once he abdicated, his residence came to be referred to as Sentō Imperial Palace. In reality, of course, retired Emperors (and Empress Dowagers) continued to wield great influence over the court.
 |
| The Okurumayose of Ōmiya Palace |
When we enter through the Seimon of Sentō Imperial Palace, the first structure that comes in view is the distinctive three-gabled Okurumayose (御車寄), which is the entrance to the Ostunegoten of the Ōmiya Palace.
The Ōmiya Palace (大宮御所) was re-built in 1867 as a residence for the Empress Dowager Eishō (英照皇太后; 1835-1897), the empress consort of Emperor Kōmei and official mother of the Emperor Meiji. (The Emperor Meiji's birth mother was the Lady Nakayama Yoshiko (中山慶子; 1836-1907), a lady-in-waiting and the concubine of the Emperor Kōmei.) The Ōmiya Palace is still used by members of the Imperial family in present times.
 |
| The Otsunegoten of Ōmiya Palace |
The Otsunegoten (御常御殿) was where the Empress Dowager Eishō lived. In 1922, its interior was renovated into the Western-style, to order to receive the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII of the UK, when he visited Japan on a state visit. We were informed that the building is used by the Imperial family when they stay at Sentō during royal visits.
 |
| The Shōchikubai garden |
Opposite the Otsunegoten is the Shōchikubai garden, so named because it is planted with pine, bamboo and plum trees. These 3 plants are called "松竹梅" - "shōchikubai" in Japanese, a transliteration of the Chinese "song zhu mei". (松 = pine; 竹 = bamboo; 梅 = plum)
 |
| Another view of the Shōchikubai garden |
Actually, the combination of these 3 plants are one of my favourites because of what they represent. They known as the Three Friends of Winter in East Asian culture. (歳寒三友 = "sui han san you" in Chinese, transliterated into "saikan no sanyū" in Japanese.) The Three Friends of Winter originated in Chinese culture, and is said to have come from the writings of a Song dynasty loyalist, Lin Jingxi (林景熙, 1242-1310):
「即其居累土為山，種梅百本，與喬松、脩篁為歲寒友。」
("For his residence, earth was piled to form a hill and a hundred plum trees, which along with lofty pines and tall bamboo comprise the friends of winter, were planted.")
Because they do not wither (but flourish) during winter, they symbolise endurance, strength and resilience (or steadfastness, perseverance and resilience, or purity, longevity and flexibilty). They are seen as an allegory for weathering difficult times. In modern-day Japan, these 3 plants continue to be very popular, especially during Shōgatsu, because they are considered auspicious symbols.
 |
| Entrance from the Ōmiya Palace to Sentō Imperial Palace |
After this was the tour around Sentō Imperial Palace proper. Most of what remains of Sentō are the gardens surrounding the North and South Ponds, and 2 teahouses, the Seikatei and Yūshintei.
First stop of Sentō Imperial Palace was the North Pond (北池), viewed from its western shore.
 |
| The North Pond, view from the west shore, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The guide highlighted the island at the east of the North Pond, said to add a depth of perspective to the view when viewed from the western end. To me, the island just makes the pond look quite large.
 |
| The North Pond, view of the island and the distant Higashiyama mountains, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The guide said that just above the trees at the east end of the North Pond, the top of the distant Higashiyama mountains could be seen. I squinted pretty hard, and there is a teensy hint of them, appearing as a misty violet splotch between the trees....
 |
| The North Pond, view from the west shore, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
From the west shore, we could also see the boat landing (right of picture above), which was where the courtiers, etc would get on/off the boats that would float around the pond.
The concept of Shakkei is also clearly used in the garden's design. The designer of the garden was Kobori Enshū (小堀 遠州; 1579-1647), a Japanese aristocrat who was renowned for his landscape designs during Tokugawa Ieyasu's time. (He is also credited with designing the famed garden at the Dai-Hōjō of Nanzenji, which we later visited during this trip.)
 |
| View of the Momijibashi and Momijiyama, from the north shore of the North Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The tour route continued northwards, and along the way, we see the Momijibashi (紅葉橋), which is sort of the dividing point between the North and South Ponds. Next to the Momijibashi is the Momijiyama (紅葉山), where there were maples aplenty!
 |
| Akosegafuchi, the North Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
At the northwestern side of the North Pond, we crossed the Rokumaibashi (六枚橋), a simple bridge of 6 stone slabs (which, unfortunately, I didn't photograph it). Near the Rokumaibashi is the Akosegafuchi (阿古瀬淵), an old pond that existed on the palace grounds before its construction. The guide explained that how the name "Akosegafuchi" came about is unknown, but that a possible explanation was that the name came from "Akokuso", the childhood name of Ki no Tsurayuki (紀 貫之; 827-945), the Heian period poet and courtier best known for his waka poetry and also the principle compiler of the Kokin Wakashū (「古今和歌集」). The Kokin Wakashū was an early Imperial anthology of waka poetry compiled during the Heian era by 4 court poets, led by Ki no Tsurayaki.
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| Maples around the North Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The tour route continued around the North Pond, heading southwards, through the island in the North Pond, and through the Saginomori (鷺の森; literally "Heron Forest").
 |
| Autumn foliage at Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
 |
| Autumn foliage at Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The tour route continued through the Saginomori, and we got to the Momijibashi (紅葉橋), the bridge which crosses the point where the North Pond meets the South Pond. So we all passed through the Momijibashi, and down the pathway through the Momijiyama (紅葉山).
 |
| Momijiyama, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The sight that was spread out before our eyes when we crossed the Momijibashi was truly beautiful. Momijiyama was full of maple trees, still clad in brilliant autumn foliage, and many fallen leaves (still vividly coloured) dotted the moss-covered ground.
 |
| Momijiyama, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
Some large maples, still in blazing red, sheltered the gravel path that led us around the South Pond.
 |
| The Yatsuhashi, view from the Momijibashi, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
From the Momijibashi was a lovely view of the Yatsuhashi (八ツ橋), a zigzag stone bridge with a wisteria trellis. The Yatsuhashi was built in 1895, and is the most elaborate and beautiful of all the bridges in Sentō Imperial Palace.
 |
| The South Pond, with a distant view of the Yatsuhashi, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| The Yatsuhashi and the South Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
As I rounded the southwestern corner of the South Pond, the view of the Yatsuhashi with this large maple by the shore was probably one of my favourite views at Sentō Imperial Palace.
 |
| Momijibashi, view from the west shore of the South Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
Further along the path down the west shore of the South Pond, I looked back towards the Momijibashi. A pity that a number of the maples flanking the bridge had already shed their autumn leaves, but it was still a pretty sight.
 |
| The Yatsuhashi and Suhama, view from the west shore of the South Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
I was just thinking about how beautiful the place would also look in the springtime, when the wisteria on the Yatsuhashi and the azaleas around the garden are in bloom....
The guide highlighted to us that the broad expanse of stones covering the western and southern shore of the South Pond is called the Suhama (洲浜), a curved "seashore" comprising of more than 111,000 fist-sized oblong stones called Isshōseki (一升石).
These stones had been collected by Ōkubo Tadazane (大久保 忠真; 1782-1837), the 7th daimyō of the Odawara Domain and 37th Kyoto Shoshidai, from Yoshihama beach in present-day Yugawara, a town in the Kanagawa Prefecture. The stones had been transported to Kyoto via sea, and presented to Emperor Gō-mizunoo who gave 1 shō ("isshō") of rice per stone - hence the name Isshōseki. (Shō is a unit of measurement in the traditional Japanese system of measurement. 1 shō (一升) is about 0.5 US gallons. There are 111,000 of these stones spread over the Suhama... so around 55,500 gallons of rice?!)
The tour route took us through the Yatsuhashi, which connects the west shore of the South Pond to Nakajima (中島), the island in the middle of the South Pond.
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| Momijibashi, view from the Yatsuhashi, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| Odaki Waterfall and Saginomori, view from the Yatsuhashi, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
From the Yatsuhashi were views of the Momijibashi and Momijiyama, as well as the Odaki Waterfall (雄滝) which flows from the Saginomori.
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| View from Nakajima, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| View from Nakajima, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| Maples on Nakajima, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| View of the southeast corner of the South Pond, from Nakajima, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The Yatsuhashi leads to Nakajima (中島), the island in the middle of the South Pond. From there were lovely views of the surrounding shores of the South Pond.
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| View of Seikatei and Yoshijima from Nakajima, South Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
As we crossed the arched stone bridge connecting Nakajima to the east shore of the South Pond, we glimpsed a lovely view of the south end of the South Pond, where the Seikatei (醒花亭) is located. In view was also Yoshijima (葭島), another small rocky islet in the South Pond.
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| More maples around the south end of the South Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| Seikatei, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The tour route took us to the Seikatei (醒花亭), one of the 2 remaining buildings at Sentō Imperial Palace at the south end of the South Pond. The Seikatei is a kokerabuki (柿葺) teahouse. It was named after a poem by Tang dynasty Chinese poet Li Bai (李白; 701-762), one of the most prominent Chinese poets during what is considered to be China's Golden Age.
 |
| Seikatei, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
Inside the Seikatei hangs a wooden tablet, beginning with the poem in question, in calligraphy by Ming dynasty Guo Zizhang (郭子章):
夜來月下臥醒, 花影零亂, 滿人衿袖, 疑如濯魄於冰壺。
Seikatei was possibly constructed according to the principle of santenshiki (三店式), i.e. "three stores" (liquor, food and tea), with each room being used as one of the 3 stores. However, it was also possible that the Seikatei, together with the Shishisai and Kansuitei (which no longer exist), constituted the three stores.
 |
| View of the South Pond, from the Seikatei, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
From the Seikatei is another great view of the South Pond - with the Yatsuhashi, Nakajima, the arched stone bridge, and the curve of the Suhama.
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| Seikatei, at the southern end of the South Pond, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The tour route headed northwards, along the Suhama, back towards the direction of the Yatsuhashi.
 |
| Kakinomoto-yashiro, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
Along the way was the Kakinomoto-yashiro (柿本社), a small Shinto shrine dedicated to Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (柿本人麻呂), a famed Japanese waka poet and aristocrat in the late Asuka period. Many of his poems were included in the Man'yōshū (万葉集), the oldest existing anthology of Japanese poetry, which was compiled in the 8th century.
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| View of the South Pond from the Suhama, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| View of the South Pond from the Suhama, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
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| Entrance to the Yūshintei, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
The final stop along the tour route is the Yūshintei (又新亭), at the southwestern corner of the North Pond. The garden of the Yūshintei is separated from the garden of Sentō Imperial Palace by a trellis, and an inner gate.
The Yūshintei is the 2nd remaining building in Sentō Imperial Palace. The Yūshintei was a gift from the Konoe (近衛) family in 1884, to replace the previous teahoouse, the Shishisai (止々斎), which had been burnt down. The building itself has a thatch and shingle roof, and a single large round window. In its garden, there was a separate, outdoor seat with an arbor, called the Sotokoshikake (外腰掛), literally meaning the outside seat of Yūshintei. Unfortunately I was not paying attention, and missed taking a photo of it. (There are some photos on the Imperial Household Agency webpage.)
 |
| The round window of the Yūshintei, Sento Imperial Palace, Kyoto |
From the Yūshintei, the tour guide led us back out through the gate at the Otsunegoten, through the Shōchikubai garden, and back to the waiting room.
Overall, Hubby and I really enjoyed our visit to Sentō Imperial Palace. The pace was a lot quicker than Shugakuin Imperial Villa, and the security attendants were less patient too, but it was still a very good experience. The gardens were beautiful, and the atmosphere was relatively relaxing and tranquil. I would actually return for a tour again!
*******
More on Elizabeth's Japanese Autumn, November 2016
- I. Yokohama & the Miho Museum - Chinatown (Heichinrou, Yokohama Mazu Temple) ● Yamashita Park ● Zou-no-Hana ● Osanbashi Pier ● Yokohama Red Brick Warehouses ● Miho Museum
- II. Kyoto - Tofukuji ● Kiyomizudera ● Sohonzan Komyoji ● Eikando Zenrinji ● Manshuin Monzeki ● Iwakura Jissoin Monzeki ● Nanzenji, Nanzenin & Tenjuan ● Kitano Tenmangu ● Shugakuin Imperial Villa ● Sento Imperial Palace ● Kyoto Imperial Palace
- III. Tokyo - Tokyo University ● Rikugien ● Tokyo Imperial Palace & the East Gardens ● Kotonoha no Niwa trip to at Shinjuku Gyoen ● Italian at Salvatore Cuomo Bros., XEX Tokyo ● Sushi Masuda ● Nishiazabu Taku (aka Sushi Taku) ● Sushi Nakamura (1st taste of Juyondai) ● Sushi Tokami (1st taste of tossaki) ● molecular gastronomy at Tapas Molecular Bar ● French-Japanese at La Paix, Nihonbashi
- IV: Fuji Five Lakes - Part 1 (Bessho Sasa, revisited) ● Part 2 (Fuji Subaru 5th Station, Motosuko & Koyodai) ● Part 3 (Fujisansaku Park, Motosuko, Shojiko, Saiko, Kawaguchiko)
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