Back to Kyoto

Got an earlier start this morning. We were showered, fed, and out the door by around 10ish. Took some pix of Jonni's house. He was kind enough to give us a lift to the train station. Bright sun this morning, the day turned out to be quite warm until about 5 or so.

Got to Kyoto Station and bought our 2 day bus and subway pass. Took the subway and a bus out to our first destination, Kinkaku-ji Temple - the Golden Temple.

Kinkakuji (金閣寺, Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose top two

floors are completely covered in gold leaf. Formally known as Rokuonji, the temple was the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. Kinkakuji was the inspiration for the similarly named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), built by Yoshimitsu's grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, on the other side of the city a few decades later.
Kinkakuji is an impressive structure built overlooking a large pond, and is the only building left of Yoshimitsu's former retirement complex. It has burned down numerous times throughout its history including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto; and once again more recently in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk. The present structure was rebuilt in 1955.

I should point out that Buddism is filled with superstitions. For a few yen, you ring the gong for luck, or pick a number with a fortune, or light a candle, touching wooden balls, tossing coins into a pot, throwing water around is also very popular.  For whatever the reason, this is seen throughout all of these temples and shrines.

Got on the number 12 bus that took us directly to Nijo Castle. 

Nijo Castle  was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the firstshogun of the Edo Period (1603-1867). His grandson Iemitsu completed the castle's palace buildings 23 years later and further expanded the castle by adding a five story castle keep.
After the Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867, Nijo Castle was used as an imperial palace for a while before being donated to the city and opened up to the public as a historic site. Its palace buildings are arguably the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of Japan's feudal era, and the castle was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994.
Nijo Castle can be divided into three areas: the Honmaru (main circle of defense), the Ninomaru (secondary circle of defense) and some gardens that encircle the Honmaru and Ninomaru. The entire castle grounds and the Honmaru are surrounded by stone walls and moats.

Back to the subway, and got out in the Gion District.

Gion  is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the Middle Ages, in front of Yasaka (or Gion) Shrine. The district was built to accommodate the needs of travelers and visitors to the shrine. It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. The geisha in the Gion district (and Kyoto generally) do not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term geiko. While the term geisha means "artist" or "person of the arts", the more direct term geiko means essentially "a child of the arts" or "a woman of art".

We wanted to walk around the streets, but there were so many people, we took a few pix and continued walking to our next destination, Kiyomizu, the pure water Temple. But first, we needed lunch. Walked in and out of several restaurants. Most all served mostly pork and chicken - with no English menu, it is hard to order. Finally came across a fast food Japanese style place and we were able to order a couple of bento box lunches. I got salmon and Geoff got the mackerel. They were fabulous and cheap!

Having been recharged with some food we were ready to tackle the mountain up to the temple. The walk up is filled with shops, cafes, demonstrations, and lots and lots of free samples of candy. The Japanese love their sweets. I think you need all that sugar to make it to the top. This was by far the most crowded.  

Kiyomizudera (清水寺, literally "Pure Water Temple") is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto, and derives its name from the fall's pure waters. The temple was originally associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism, but formed its own Kita Hosso sect in 1965. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
Kiyomizudera is best known for its wooden stage that juts out from its main hall, 13

meters above the hillside below. The stage affords visitors a nice view of the numerous cherry and maple trees below that erupt in a sea of color in spring and fall, as well as of the city of Kyoto in the distance. The main hall, which together with the stage was built without the use of nails, houses the temple's primary object of worship, a small statue of the eleven faced, thousand armed Kannon. 

The Otowa Waterfall is located at the base of Kiyomizudera's main hall. Its waters are divided into three separate streams, and visitors use cups attached to long poles to drink from them. Each stream's water is said to have a different benefit, namely to cause longevity, success at school and a fortunate love life. However, drinking from all three streams is considered greedy.

We walked through and drank from the water cup, choosing longevity. Made our way back down the mountain. This was the last site for us today. I have to say that I find the temples absolutely awe-inspiring. Even the castle, was nothing like castles you see in Europe. These are beautiful structures with strong wooden bones, built on stone, and surrounded by fragile rice paper and bamboo. A true contrast in materials. The buildings are sparse and simple. No elaborate decor like the pagodas of Thailand or Vietnam that we had visited. Unfortunately, there are no cameras allowed inside the buildings, so I can't share those images. There is a great sense of peace and tranquility throughout. Even with the tourists, the flow still moves along. 

At the bottom, we stopped to get a cup of coffee and figure out what to do next. By the time we left, our beautiful blue sky had turned into a rain shower with gusting winds! Walked up to try to catch the bus back to Kyoto station. It was close to five and even though it is Sunday, the streets were packed and the bus was jammed full of people. Not getting on there even if I could.

The rain was still coming down, when we found a stranded umbrella. Picked it up and started walking to the station. It was way too far to walk, so we stopped at the next bus stop. A few passed us - no room. Finally one stopped and Geoff and I were the last two sardines that could squeeze inside. The door barely closed. Of course, this turned the bus into an express, since it couldn't pick up any more people. 

Made it back to the station and roamed around trying to find a place for sushi. No luck, but did find the famous Kyoto staircase. And we got a kick out of the Japanese MacDonald's eating stations. The station was absolutely packed with people and it was getting too cold to walk around outside looking for a place to eat, so we decided to just take the train back and hope for the best.

Got back to Sakamoto, and there was a nice little restaurant across the street from the train station. No English, but we think it might have been a Chinese restaurant, Japanese style. We had quite a time figuring out what to order, when the waitress finally brought out the pictures. We wound up with shrimp and cuttlefish tempura. Running short on cash, so we were lucky that they took credit cards. 

Next we had to get a cab back to Jonni's. He went out tonight so he couldn't pick us up. We needed to know how much it would cost, to make sure we had enough yen. Well, you can imagine how this conversation went. After about 10 minutes, we all decided it should be about 850 more or less. Great, we had 1000 left. The fare was 930. 

Home at last after another long day of being a tourist. This can be pretty hard work sometimes. One more day and we will go back to Kyoto for a couple of more must-see temples. Then we are off to Hakone, where I hope the pace will slow down some.

Before saying good-night - a big Happy Birthday to a very special two year granddaughter, Tali.

Next time...But wait there's more temples!