After breakfast, we took a taxi to Okochi Sanso Villa, a lovely garden located on top of a hill, providing a peaceful glimpse of the quiet Kyoto environs. Okochi Sanso was the private villa of a famous silent-film era actor, Okochi Denjiro. He constructed this unique garden villa on the south side of Mount Ogura over a 30 year period. Here we were served Japanese green tea.
Then we walked through a bamboo path to Tenryuji Garden.
Another stop in the Arashiyama neighborhood was Tenryuii Temple. Tenryūji is the most important temple in Kyoto's Arashiyama district. It was ranked first among the city's five great Zen temples, and is now registered as a world heritage site. Tenryuji is the head temple of its own school within the Rinzai Zen sect of Japanese Buddhism.
Tenryuji was built in 1339 by the ruling shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Takauji dedicated the temple to Emperor Go-Daigo, who had just passed away. It has been destroyed by wars and fires and rebuilt many times. Most of the structures here now date from the late 19th century, but the exquisite Zen garden -- which includes a large pond, elevated rock grouping, and delicate cherry trees -- is many centuries old.
In the afternoon we had free time so I went shopping at and near the train station. I bought myself a Geisha doll and small gifts for Noah and Cole. This shopping area included many American shops.\
That evening we gathered for our farewell dinner. We had cold bento boxes full of tempura, which due to it being cold, was not particularly good.
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