Northern Higashiyama - Kyoto - page 221

tain glen. It's here at Nanzen-ji Oku-no-in that pilgrims pray while standing under the
falls, sometimes in the dead of winter. Hiking trails lead off in all directions from this
point; by going due north for 5km (about two hours' walk) you'll arrive at the top of
Daimonji-yama ( CLICK HERE ); go east and you'll get to the town of Yamashina (also about
two hours).

NOMURA MUSEUM
OFFLINE MAP
( 野村美術館 ; 751-0374; Sakyō-ku, Nanzen-ji, Shimokawara-chō 61; admission ¥700; 10am-4.30pm
Tue-Sun early Mar-early Jun & early Sep-early Dec; 10min walk from Keage Station, Tōzai subway line) This
museum is a 10-minute walk north of Nanzen-ji. Exhibits include scrolls, paintings, im-
plements used in tea ceremonies and ceramics that were bequeathed by business magnate
Nomura Tokushiki. If you have an abiding interest in the tea ceremony or in Japanese dec-
orative techniques such as lacquer and maki-e (decorative lacquer technique using silver
and gold powders), this museum makes an interesting break from temple hopping.

| MUSEUM

MURIN-AN VILLA
OFFLINE MAP
( 無鄰菴 ; 771-3909; Sakyō-ku, Nanzen-ji, Kusakawa-chō; admission ¥400; 9am-4.30pm; 7min walk
from Keage Station, Tōzai subway line) Often overlooked by the hordes that descend on the Hi-
gashiyama area, this elegant villa was the home of prominent statesman Yamagata
Aritomo (1838-1922) and the site of a pivotal 1902 political conference as Japan was
heading into the Russo- Japanese War.

| GARDEN

Built in 1896, the grounds contain well-preserved wooden buildings, including a fine
Japanese tearoom. The Western-style annexe is characteristic of Meiji-period architecture
and the serene garden features small streams that draw water from the Biwa-ko Sosui
canal. For ¥300 you can savour a bowl of frothy matcha (powdered green tea) while view-
ing the shakkei backdrop of the Higashiyama Mountains. It's particularly beautiful in the
maple-leaf season of November.

DAIMONJI-YAMA CLIMB

Time: two hours

Distance: five km