The Imperial Villa at Katsura

April 2nd: We awakened to our beautiful quarters, and enjoyed the breakfasts pictured two posts back. In Japan, the custom is to shower first, and then soak in the tub, for relaxation only. At Hiiragiya Bekkan, this was taken to an even more luxurious level. Once entering the bath area and taking the traditional shower, I saw that the tub was a deep, stone hot tub, bubbling away for my sole pleasure.

This was a big day for me. The Chibas had obtained permission from the Imperial Household Agency to visit the Imperial Villa at Katsura, the place I studied with such rapt attention almost thirty years ago, in college. Built by Kobori Enshu in 1620, it is still universally acknowledged as one of the most architecturally perfect sites in existence, almost 400 years later. On a much smaller scale, my love for the beauty of this place has been reflected in my choice of furnishings for own my home throughout the years. My love for this type of setting has only continued to grow.

It was a chilly day when we arrived, and as we walked up the graveled driveway, a groundskeeper swept the leaves out of the gravel with a broom. This is the level of meticulous care given to every aspect of this phenomenal place. The tour was in Japanese, but I was able to wear a small audio box with an earphone which translated the essentials for me into English. Luckily, I had reviewed my book on Katsura before coming and was familiar with the history.

Many pictures are offered online of the indescribable vision that is Katsura, and most are far better than the ones I took. Therefore I will only offer a few here, and hope that you will become interested enough to check it out more on your own. (P.S. By "a few," I mean a lot! I tried, but just keep finding pictures I want to share of this beautiful place.)

There is nothing that was overlooked at Katsura. Every stone, every tree, every pebble, every bush, not to mention the layout and design of the dwellings, was placed with intention and care. Open air tea pavillions are strategically placed in areas designed to provide the participants with breathtaking views of the gardens. At one point on the site, where one could have surveyed the entire garden from that spot, a pine tree was planted to prevent it, so the visitors would be compelled to stroll the grounds and individually enjoy each aspect of the superbly planted grounds. Stone lanterns are placed at certain points along the edge of the pond to allow nighttime boaters (back in "the day") to see their way back.

Katsura was everything I thought it would be, and more. Due to concern for the age of the buildings, made entirely of natural materials, we were not allow to enter them. But we did get to sit in some of the outdoor pavillions, and walk the garden way that Japanese royalty walked, so many years ago.