Osawa-no-ike Pond is an artificially made, yet beautiful, pond in Kyoto next to Daikaku-ji Temple. This pond is the oldest known surviving part of any Japanese garden in Japan. Emperor Saga ordered its creation during his reign (809-823) or shortly after, and was part of his garden whilst he took residence at Daikaku-ji.
You’ll see endless amounts of beautiful lilies blooming in the pond waters. I was surprised to see them still in flower when visiting at the end of summer. A lot of lilies in other areas seemed to have wilted and lost their wonderful flowers by this time.
The original idea of the pond was to enjoy the garden and views by boat. It is particularly known as a spot for appreciating and viewing the rising of the moon. In fact, there’s a moon viewing party here every autumn. Taking place across three days the festival has costumed dancers, musicians and dragon boats in the style of the Heian period. The pond is largely lined by Sakura trees, so it's very popular for viewing the cherry blossoms in spring, attracting both locals and tourists.
I found my visit very calming and pleasant. There was a slight drizzle, but that didn’t make things any less beautiful and appealing to view. I followed the path that takes you all the way around the pond, taking about half an hour at a slow pace. There are a few small shrine monuments to admire as you walk around.
When reaching the opposite side you’ll have an amazing view right across the pond of Daikaku-ji Temple, backed by the forests and mountains further back. This is a spot I was happy to stand at for a fair amount of time while the drizzle kept me cool! Looking down the bank away from the pond, I saw a few traditional looking farms showing the more rural side of Japan.
Osawa-no-ike Pond is very popular with the local residents in Kyoto, due to its being quiet, peaceful and free from tourists (compared to other places). I had the pleasure of talking to a local elderly man who spoke quite good English! He said that he comes to the pond a few times a week, in the evening, to enjoy a walk.
I’m going to miss how nice people are here, and them starting spontaneous conversations with me!
