At the last day in Kyoto i wanted to go to Koju-en, a nursery who specialises in shohin bonsai. I had read a lot of good things about it and knew that there were a large variety of material there. Could there be a chojubai quince there for me to take back home?
As i started my walk early, i took my time to stop at Toji temple, just a 10 minute walk from my hotel. One of the highlights of the temple was of course the large weeping cherry.

As it was forbidden to dig at the temple site, the gardeners had filled up a large mound of dirt, and planted it there. The blossoms were spectacular. The temple had all the common attributes that a japanes garden should have. Stone lanterns, a pond, bamboo fences and so forth.

The thing i found really intruiging about Kyoto in particular but all over Japan was the mix of old and new. Wabi Sabi in a greater scale.

You walk around in modern highrises and if you dont look closely you miss the shinto shrine embedded in a hotelstructure. Very odd for me as a westerner. One last thing i found in Toji temple was this small planting. This idea of small plantings is something i find very beatiful, and will try to replicate myself.

Again, very simple. But very beautiful. Bigger isn´t always better.

Next stop was Koju-en nursery. Didn´t take a lot of photos, this was the first bonsai i´d seen so far on my journey. I was so excited i forgot to photograph. Wonderful trees at affordable prices.
And there were a large variety of species, evergreens, decidious and flowering. And i did get my chojubai 🙂

After a while walking around at the nursery i didn´t see the trees anymore. It´s too much to take in, so i walked back to the train station, got my luggage, packed my chojubai in there, and headed of to Hiroshima. The only non bonsai/garden stop i had planned.

More on that in part 5