Daikaku-Ji

The Arashiyama district can be found on the outskirts of Kyoto. It’s a more rural area with many places to explore – if we had had more time, bicycles would have been the way to explore – as well as a great way to add to the health benefits of the journey. Alas, that was not to be so we settled on a quick visit to a couple of the temples.
Daikaku-ji was our first stop. Originally it was a palace home, built by one of the many emperors, however, it has now been transformed into a Buddhist temple that has been identified as a place of scenic beauty. The buildings are elaborate with extensive carvings and well-preserved paintings. Each building and walkway is constructed in such a way that they work together to allow natural views of nature that have been sculpted around the entire temple. The Japanese are very good at crafting nature to create a landscape that both looks natural and molds itself around the desired buildings. It is truly quite an art.