Japanese Tea starting time has been changed to 10:00 a.m. on Nov 26th.

In Kyoto, when you come across a sign with the word “在釜” (Zaifu) written on it, it means “a tea kettle is set, come around to have some tea”. You can enjoy this nowadays rather rarely seen tradition exclusively at Murin-an and casually savor a bowl of freshly whisked tea, while our staff will be pleased to explain you more about the tea and garden design as well.

*On November 26th, the starting time has been changed to 10:00 a.m.

Murin-an Twilight Garden Party 2019: Special Evening Opening for Autumn Leaf Viewing

Murin-an’s annual illuminated event! This year we held it for three days starting on November 22 (Fri.), and from the very first day we had a tremendous number of visitors who enjoyed looking at the scenery of autumn leaves reflected on the water’s surface.

Whether you took a stroll around the garden after hearing it explained by one of our guides or had a drink while taking in the full view of the garden from the main house’s second floor, we wish to thank you for enjoying the garden’s landscape and the alluring form of scarlet maple leaves hovering quietly over arranged lights, looking so different from autumn leaves in daytime.

Nothing could make us happier than to see this illuminated event and our guides’ explanations of the garden become moments for people to share their memories of Kyoto and the value of cultural property gardens with others they know.

Weekend Garden Guided Tours

On November 23 and 24 (Sat. and Sun.), we held guided garden tours inside a garden at the peak of autumn leaf season.
Amid warm weather and conversations with many questions and answers, we discussed with our participants about the mechanism of autumn leaves and the properties of plant life. We also explained Murin-an’s status as one of Japan’s cultural property gardens and the features of each of its areas. Finally, we invited them to spend a relaxing time in Murin-an’s main house enjoying the autumn leaf landscape with a bowl of matcha tea.

Cleaning Murin-an’s Stream

Here are some pictures of the marsh where Murin-an’s three-stage waterfall flows into being cleaned. Our gardeners removed fallen leaves from the Japanese sweet flag and picked away yellow leaves so that the water stream flows smoothly.

Murin-an Tea School

On October 11 (Fri.), we held a tea ceremony lesson on the second floor of Murin-an’s main house. As part of the spirit of receiving their guests, students learned what direction the tea froth heaped up in the tea bowl’s center should face.
https://murin-an.jp/tea-ceremony-school/

We closed the garden 10/12 because of the typhoon.

We closed the garden 10/12 because of the typhoon and decided to keep it closed next day 10/13 until we decide that it’s safe to open it again.
We will post a notice on this Facebook account when it opens on 10/13.

Thank you.

Participants in Kyoto University of Art and Design’s Intensive Japanese Garden Seminar visited Murin-an!

We held a lecture at Murin-an for the Intensive Japanese Garden Seminar held for foreign visitors by the Japanese Garden and Historical Heritage Research Institute at Kyoto University of Art and Design!
Participants from all over the world visiting Japan for two weeks to learn about the basics of Japanese gardens came to Murin-an to deepen their knowledge.

(Album) Welcome to the World of Gardens! An Easy Onsite Intensive Seminar on Japanese Gardens for Beginners

On September 28, we held an intensive Japanese garden seminar. Ueyakato Landscape’s staff welcomed 27 participants and explained to them the gardens at Murin-an and Nanzen-ji Temple.
Despite the fact that it was the end of September, the garden was enlivened by the lingering summer heat and we could hear the sound of cicadas singing. And because it was also “Garden Day” (the 28th of each month), when all visitors aged 35 or younger enter for free, we saw more young people at Murin-an than usual.
With the leaves on the trees starting to turn yellow, autumn is now right in front of us. The garden’s look will soon change all at once. We hope you will all come to enjoy the changing seasons at Murin-an.

(Album) Murin-an Wild Bird Mini-lecture

On the afternoon of October 9 (Wed.), we held a wild bird mini-lecture in the 8-tatami mat space of the main house on the Himalayan cuckoo. We had participants visiting from far away who were very interested in this bird’s ecology and thirty minutes passed by before we knew it.
The members of the cuckoo family each have different characteristics, but no matter how many times we lecture about one of them, people are always surprised to hear about their practice of leaving their eggs in other birds’ nests.

Murin-an’s weekly Wednesday “Wild Bird Mini-lecture” is held from 2:00-2:30 PM in the 8-tatami mat space in the main house of the first floor. We choose a wild bird species and discuss interesting characteristics about it and its ecology while also looking out at the garden and explaining any wild birds that happen to fly by. Our first twenty participants get an original postcard featuring the Murin-an wild bird discussed that week! Feel free to drop in.
https://murin-an.jp/wildbird/

(Staff Eyes) The Japanese quinces’ fruits are turning yellow!

The fruits that slowly started swelling on Murin-an’s Japanese quinces in mid-summer have begun to turn yellow. Visitors often ask “Are those apples? Or Chinese quinces?”

Before they turn ripe, they stay hidden behind the leaves, but now that the leaves have fallen off the quinces, their ripened yellow fruits have begun to stand out. You can encounter these big fruits as you walk around the garden’s lawn area.