Day 6 - North Kyoto

Posted on May 16, 2008
Filed Under Australia - The land down under, Japan, Holidays |

After a very peaceful night falling asleep to the rain in our temple accommodation, (which by the way I highly recommend) we woke early to call Mum and wish her Happy Birthday. We regaled her with our experiences so far and tales of our “rock pillows” for a while and then headed off to enjoy a morning tea service, a personal tour of Shukoin Temple and a Zen meditation session led by our gracious host, Rev. Taka.

His family had been  running the temple for generations and he was very knowledgable about the temple itself and the influence of Christianity on the area.

He informed us that in the 1500’s it was illegal to practice Christianity and that it was punishable by death! His family, had incorporated Christianity into their practices and there were several unbelievable elements in the temple and garden that reflected this “secret religion”

One of these items was a beautiful wall painting with hidden references to Jesus, Mary and the holy trinity. I didn’t take any pictures here out of respect for the age of the paintings and the temple itself, so you’ll just have to visit and see it yourself!

Refreshed from our meditation, we headed off towards northern Kyoto and paid a visit to Ninna-ji Temple and Rengi Temple first. It was not nearly as long a walk as the ones in Southern Kyoto so our feet were spared!

From there, we caught a bus to Ryoan-ji Temple. It is one of the most famous places in Japan as it houses a very unique rock garden. I must admit, I struggled to see what was so amazing about 15 rocks strategically placed around raked gravel. It looked quite sparse to me but then, perhaps the beauty lies in its simplicity.  As lovely as that was, I much preferred the garden behind it. With the plum blossoms blooming and the cherry blossom on the way, it made a much prettier picture.

Rocks…

In the garden

Next, the Golden Pavilion! We walked a good long way to get there and we stopped a few times for photos. (See how I always had the camera and made Sandy pose?)On the way to the Pavillion

Along the way, I received a phone call from Austalia! Not the one I wanted however. Someone called to tell me that they had Tomi. My puppy had gotten out and run away while I was gone! I gave the person Brian’s number (after explaining that I was out of the country…lol) and hoped that they got through.

Also known as Kikaku-ji Temple, the Golden Pavilion is indeed golden and we took quite a few pictures of the temple itself, the many wishing “wells” – see below pics and the koi in the pond. We also bought a few trinkets here. We selected some good luck medallions and pouches containing slabs of wood with good luck symbols on them. I got one for good health, for a friend, who had been recovering from some heart problems and a golden pendent for myself.

Another bus ride and we were off to Nijojo Castle for the evening and dinner at Immedegawa. (Sandy was forever grateful for Mos Burger!) As much as I love Japanese cuisine, we tended to go to restaurants that also had alternatives for Sandy. After days of noodles, miso soup and chicken cooked so raw I feared salmonella etc… I was ready for another burger LOL

We headed back to the temple for some peace and quite. It’s quite odd walking through temple grounds late at night. Everything is eerily still and we felt like interlopers.

Imagine this at night!

 

 

  

   

 

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