The best and surest way to be one with the divine is sincerity. - Shinto teaching.
Happiness can exist only in acceptance. - George Orwell.
The day started very early for us as we embarked on a 1-day tour of temples and shrines in the city of Kyoto.
Kyoto was the capital city of Japan for over 1000 years, until in the 19th century when it was then changed to Tokyo.
Kyoto specialities are tofu, pickled vegetables, green tea sweets (mochi, ice-cream), embroidered silk and porcelain plates, bowls and cups.
First we visited Ryoanji Temple.
Originally a country house of the Tokudaji Clan, is was acquired in 1450 by Hosokawa Katsumoto for us as a Sen training temple. It was destroyed by fire during the Onin War but rebuilt in 1499. It was registered as a World heritage Site in 1994.
The weather was pretty grotty - cold and raining. There was snow on roofs and on the ground.
The most iconic feature of this particular temple is the zen garden with 15 rocks in it. However, at any angle you are not able to count all 15 of them because "humans are not perfect."
It was a very calm, picturesque place which would've been enjoyed moreso if the weather was nicer!
Next stop was Kinkaku (The Golden Pavilion)/Rokuon-ji Temple.
The Golden Pavilion is a shariden, a Buddhist hall containing relics of Buddha. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the 3rd shogun (samurai) of the Muromachi period, to a liking to the area and acquired it from the Saionji family in 1397. He then built his own villa.
The garden and buildings, centred on the Golden Pavilion, were said to represent the Pure Land of Buddha in this world.
After Yoshimitsu died, in keeping with his will, the villa was converted into a temple by the priest Muso-kokushi.
In 1994, this temple was registered as a World Cultural heritage Site and it's not hard to see why. The gilded gold is so bright, it literally outshines the beautiful landscape the surrounds it.
There was also a 600-year old pine tree:
Then it was time for LUNCH! Delicious chicken stew, tempura vegetables, pickles, tofu, rice, miso, potato salad and fresh fruit.
Then it was off to the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
Surrounded by an earthen wall with tiles, the Kyoto Imperial Palace is approximately 450m long and 250m wide. It was constructed in a grid-like pattern, resembling a go board.
The palace has many buildings dedicated to different people and/or activities. It has burnt down and been rebuilt several times. In 1854, when the palace burnt down for the last time to date, it was rebuilt within the following year, and that is the palace that still stands today.
The Shishinden is the most important ceremonial building within the Palace grounds. The enthronement ceremonies of two Emperors took place here:
The Shunkoden was built to house sacred pieces belonging to the Emperor (sword, mirror and jade):
Next stop was the Heianjingu Shrine...
I found this shrine to be the most vibrant in colour. It was obviously a very popular place just by looking at the number of fortunes tied to the string and wishing blocks hung on nails.
As Kyoto is full of Universities and Colleges, many students seek wisdom at their local temple.
Now this photo was taken while exiting Heianjingu Shrine. The red pagoda you can see in the distance is what the locals must walk through if they want to visit the shrine.
Next stop was the Sanjusangen-do Temple. There were strict rules about taking photos (your camera would be seized if you did), but this for me was the highlight of my day.
The temple contains 1001 armed cannon statues, and to see them all was really a sight to behold. It was eerie but at the same time simply awesome.
Here's a picture of a section from wikipedia:
They all have slightly different facial features and it was very interesting learning about all the symbolism.
Also, there is an archery competition held there, where the target is at a distance of 120m! The competition runs for 24 hours in mid January. The record for most arrows shot is 9 arrows per minute.
The last stop was Kiyomizu-dera temple, which was up on a hill overlooking the city of Kyoto. Leading up to the temple was and overflow of tourist-y shops...
The view from the 13m-high balcony was breathtaking. If you were to seek enlightenment, this would probably be the best place in town to do so.
It once was a belief that if you jumped from this spot (13m off the ground) and survived, your wish would be granted. Surprisingly, over 80% of people who did so, survived. (it is however undocumented as to whether or not their wishes came true, or, more importantly, the injuries people endured). This "activity" has since been banned...
At any temple, the water is sacred and used to wash hands and to drink. Here, people are scooping it up with metal cups on long handles:
Now these two aren't real Geisha, but for the moment, it'll do:
The afternoon's weather cleared up which definitely made it more enjoyable! The whole tour was well worth it, plenty of information, and each shrine/temple was different enough to maintain your interest.
Last but certainly not least, let me introduce you to Ieko Yabuta:
She was the lovely lady from Sunrise Tours who escorted us on the train from Osaka to Kyoto and back. She wasn't our tour guide (who was also great), but I had the pleasure of speaking to Ieko on the train back to Osaka and she just melted our hearts with her humour and kindness.
Thank you Ieko! We miss you already!
Tonight is our last night in Kyoto...tomorrow we are heading to Nagoya.
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