Back when my sister and her husband were visiting Japan, we wandered up a road that I had never traveled before. What prompted it was a sign pointing up hill to a mysterious pagoda. Even though I’ve been in countries that use the metric system as their preferred unit – and being in Japan for well more than a year – I still cannot judge how far a kilometer is when reading signs…

Anyways, we walked up this hill (which was quite an incline) and made it to this gorgeous scene that I had not known was so close to my neighborhood. We were tired, but the cool and refreshing air made the climb worth it. 

In the pagoda’s complex was this quaint water garden overgrown with miniature waterlilies. 

-Kyle