"I told him it would be impossible to enter but he said he might have a way," says Oshima. The residence is known for its pristine garden and has been designated as a national important cultural asset. It was the Nomura Villa, completed in 1928 by Nomura Tokushichi, the founder of Nomura Securities. One particular residence caught Jobs' eye. In July 2010, Oshima was driving Jobs through an upscale neighborhood near Nanzenji Temple. I'm deeply moved by what that culture has produced, and it's directly from Zen Buddhism." "I want a garden like that." The most sublime thing I've ever seen are the gardens around Kyoto. Jobs spoke about the influence of Zen Buddhism on his life in his authorized biography: "I have always found Buddhism, Japanese Zen Buddhism in particular, to be aesthetically sublime. The rock garden of Ryoanji was one of Jobs' favorite places in Kyoto. Years later, he brought his children to the temple and told them what Oshima had explained to him. Oshima says Jobs seemed to accept this, and nodded, keeping his eyes on the garden. The reason we can't find all 15 rocks is that we're still in a work in process." A night with a full moon is called 'Jyugoya', or 15th night. In the past, men were recognized to have reached adulthood at the age of 15. "Then I explained the significance of the number: 15 means completion. He paced around, looking for the perfect spot to view the garden, but couldn't find it. Oshima says Jobs immediately checked to see if this was true. "The garden has fifteen stones but you cannot see all of them at once from a single vantage point." "On our first visit, I told him about the temple's unique visual trick," says Oshima. Oshima says one of Jobs' favorite destinations was Ryoanji, a 500-year-old Zen temple known for its rock garden. Oshima says he would even jokingly ask Jobs to name one of Apple's products 'Hiro.' Oshima Hiroshi, a chauffeur and tour guide, showed Steve Jobs around Kyoto. Over the years, the two grew close and Jobs gave Oshima his home address and phone number, urging him to call if he ever had the chance to visit the US. Jobs would arrive with a vague idea of what he wanted to see but left the specifics to Oshima. Oshima worked as a chauffeur and a tour guide for Jobs on four trips, the last in 2010, just one year before the Apple founder's death. When it came to Kyoto, Oshima Hiroshi was Steve Jobs' man.
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