Kyoto. March 2015.
It was wintertime when I visited Kyoto and I was resigned to viewing its gardens and pavilions before they peaked in beauty and color in the springtime. I was expecting to see the gardens at their most drab, but I figured I should, at least, try to visit. So I took the public bus from my ryokan and then walked a few more blocks until I reached Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion) in the eastern part of the city. It felt like a typical winter day. I actually thought the temperature was pretty comfortable. But there was a crispness in the air that forebode something magical was about to happen. And then, suddenly as if on cue, light snow fell quietly onto the scene and I was spellbound …
