The Temple of the Silver Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji, features a remarkable garden, famous for its 5 ft tall molded sand representation of Mt Fuji. How this steeply sloped shape maintains its form I have no idea, but clearly there is significant daily maintenance involved.

Adjacent to it is an unusual elevated raked sand area.

This gravel area nearby must be done with a specially shaped rake.

I was struck by this sign. A fire at an ancient wooden temple would certainly be disastrous.

The sand garden area is next to the main temple building, here obscured by a beautiful ancient pine.

Farther into the gardens, a more naturalistic appearance is apparent, with lush green moss everywhere.

The main pond is a carefully balanced composition of rocks and vegetation.

We took a city bus to reach this temple from where we are staying, and then walked back. Part of the return journey was along the Path of Philosophy, a pedestrian path along a cherry tree-lined ancient canal.

Next post about our Kyoto trip >>> Hiking Mt Hiei, in Reverse