晩秋の趣ただよう青蓮院/Late Autumn Garden at Shoren-in Temple

4日午後に #青蓮院 を訪問しました。

I privately visited #Shorenin Temple on 4th.

青蓮院は代々皇室が住職を務める門跡寺院として、その格式の高さで知られています。

Shoren-in has been famous for its highest rank and close tie to the imperial family as traditionally such people served as a head of monks.

その格式の高さを示すかのような、お庭の落ち着いた雰囲気や洗練された美しさは格別です。

As if the garden shows its privileged status, the quiet atmosphere, elegancy and grace are beyond descriptions.

建物の中から座ってご覧になるのも、お庭へ出て歩みを進めるにつれ変化する景色を楽しむのもどちらも楽しいことでしょう。 It's very pleasure and enjoyable to see it from inside while sitting down or walk around to enjoy every changing angle.

まず目を引くのが「龍心池」。粟田山を借景とし、まるで池に浮かぶ石が龍の背のように見えます。

The eye catching view would be the pond "Ryu-jin-no Pond." The stone's shape looks like the back of a dragon bathing in the pond, so the pond's name is coming from dragon. You may feel the garden is much larger than it is because of the borrowed landscape: the whole mountain behind the temple are used as the part of the garden.

訪問する直前には小雨が降ったのですが、お庭を眺めていると光が差してきて木々が輝くようでした。

It drizzled before the visit, but when I was siting for a while, sunlight came through trees and it made the mountain shining.

散紅葉に晩秋の雰囲気を感じながら、のんびりと散策させていただきました。

I enjoyed walking slowly with the nostalgic feeling of the last autumn moment.

少しだけ日吉社へ向かう階段を上ると、先ほどまで座ってお庭を眺めていた華頂殿を望むことができます。

A few stairs up offers you a scenic view of the building where you were looking at the garden.

心落ち着くひとときが過ごせますので、是非訪問してみてください。

Highly recommend to enjoy the peaceful time.