Martyn, Anna and I visited Heian Shrine after visiting Kiyomizu Temple. In that area, there are several art museums, so I used to go there quite often, but it was my first time visiting the shrine in over ten years. I was with an American friend last time when I visited there. Although the buildings look amazing, there is a breathtaking Japanese garden as well.

When I was a college student, I saw King Charles (back then, he was still a prince) and Princess Diana in person. They were visiting the shrine. Princess Diana was so pretty that I still remember that occasion.

We walked around the beautiful Japanese garden and enjoyed taking photos. We saw waterlilies just started blooming. I thought if we had visited a couple days later, we probably would see them in full bloom. It must have been very lovely.

There was a heron nearby the pond. It was catching fish from the pond.

I think a part of the beauty of Japanese gardens comes from the reflections in the ponds.

For some reason, Japanese gardens always make me feel calm. Martyn, Anna and I sat on a stone for a while and simply admired the incredible scenery.

I wondered why the maple tree in the picture below was still having red leaves even though it wasn't fall.

After the garden, we had tea and ice cream.

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