Koke-dera | Moss Temple

I’m a bit of a moss fan and have made work inspired by moss in the past. The Moss Garden at Saijo-ji Temple in Kyoto was utterly enchanting and made all the more special by the rain. I had secretly hoped for rain as moss loves the damp, in a trip full of so many lovely experiences it seemed extra specially lucky that this was our only wet day.

We booked our visit via a double postcard system that the Temple encourages, advancing the idea of ‘inconvenience benefits’ the idea that there are good things and new discoveries to be made through effort/inconvenience. In writing this I must admit it was in fact our friend Maiko in Japan, who went to the effort of sending the postcard on our behalf, I was worried it might not arrive in time if sent from the UK. I am however totally onboard with the idea!!

We walked around the Garden twice, once taking photographs and then again just to soak up the tranquil velvety-ness of it all.

Saijo-ji Buddhist Temple, Moss Garden, Kyoto, Japan.

Thanks Maiko, I hope you received some inconvenience benefits!

Slow Platform Shibuya Station

When we first arrived in Tokyo we stayed near Shibuya, perhaps one of the busiest parts of the city. On the station platform we discovered this rather wonderful moss intervention.

Slow Platform Shibuya Station

Platform 0

A slow station created from scratch.

Faster and more convenient.

If it’s just that, I’ll run out of breath at some point.

A slow time in the daily gap.

Let’s go further and touch green.

Let’s take care of each other and watch over each other.

Imagine being kind to the city and the earth.

Create from 0, create 0

Let’s all start from here for a comfortable future.

My Grandfather had a collection of these little books, like him I love the printed paper covers as much as the contents.

Mossy recommendations

Woman at War - fantastic arthouse eco warrior action movie set in the pristine moss covered Icelandic landscape.

Two fabulous looking books recommended by Maddie and Sherry on instagram and swiftly added to my Christmas list!

Gathering Moss - A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses - by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Fen, bog and swamp - A Short History of Peatland Destruction and its role in the Climate Crisis - by Annie Proulx

Saijo-ji Temple in Kyoto inconvenience benefits