Northern Kyoto

The Kyoto International Conference Hall

Swans!

Entsuji

The Garden of Fine Arts

We got out of class relatively early on Monday, so a few of us went to the northern part of Kyoto. There we saw the Kyoto International Conference Hall, Entsuji, and Tadao Ando's Garden of Fine Arts. It was definitely an eclectic group of sites! The KICH is this Brutalist mega-structure that is set in the most serene (and surreal) setting. Beautiful hills and trees, a large lake near by, and swans swimming in the pond. Entsuji is a famous Zen garden. I was sitting there enjoying the silence and breathtaking view when a loud commentary came on over the loud speaker. That was the end of that! We made our way down the hill and saw the Garden of Fine Art. It is an outdoor museum that houses replicas of famous painting, but done in ceramic tile! Bizarre, but the building was pretty sweet.