Kyoto's Osawa-no-ike Pond in B&W

This man-made pond was built originally for a villa for the Saga Emperor, sometime in the 8th century. It still exists today as part of Daikaku-ji, a temple I really love. The combination of temple and pond makes for a very nice experience, and I highly recommend going there. I visited in late December, but it wasn't cold at all. A video I watched in the temple showed the pond in summer full of gorgeous lotus (hasu), so I am definitely going back to enjoy that! There is also a pagoda, bamboo grove, plum trees and cherry trees, so it looks like it's beautiful year round.