Temples and Shrines Galore

Posted by Chelsie on May 28, 2015 in Japan, Kyoto | 6 comments

We enjoyed a really delicious French pastry breakfast at the train station before boarding the subway for the Northern Higashiyama region of Kyoto where there are dozens of temples. We started at Ginkaku-ji, a beautiful villa constructed by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa in 1482. While the landscaping was stunning and the villa was settled perfectly on at the base of the mountain, it was also overrun by junior-high aged school children on field trips so it was a little bit less serene than you would have thought. After grabbing some quick ice cream cones (it is about 90 degrees here), we wandered down the Philosopher’s Walk choosing to stop at temples Honen-in and Nanzen-ji. There are literally too many temples to visit in one day, but I think we chose wisely. Before, I get to the temples, another interesting note is that we saw a sizable snake swimming down the waterway along the Philosopher’s Walk (picture below). Honen-in was a lovely secluded temple set back in the woods with beautiful rock gardens and water features. It was a quiet place for reflection and there were a few people meditating. Nanzen-ji, on the other hand, was a much larger and well-visited temple (although had nowhere near the crowds as Ginkaku-ji) where you could visit the second story of main gate (sanmon) and get a really beautiful view over the city of Kyoto on one side and the mountains on the other side. It also featured an interesting bridge that turned out to be an excellent photography spot.

After a very brief rest stop at the hotel, it was on to Fushimi Inari shrine which is a pretty iconic place to visit in Japan with its thousands of red torii gates. We were able to get some beautiful shots just as the sun was setting. We also met a really great Japanese man who lived in Long Beach in the 1940s. Once he figured out we spoke English, he started showing us all kinds of papers with English phrases on them. At first we were a little bit confused, but after a few moments we figured out that he had written expressions down that he heard, but didn’t understand and was waiting to ask someone to explain what they meant. He did speak pretty good English, but it became really clear to Andrew and I how weird the English language can be when were trying to explain to him what “the long and the short of it,” “acting as someone’s instrument,” and “dirt-cheap” meant. There were a few even we didn’t know (something about a cat’s paw) although I thought of my Nana because she knows all the fun expressions. We had such a wonderful time talking to him that we spent about a half hour chatting.

At the end of the day we were pretty beat, but not so tired that we didn’t enjoy another round of tonkatsu and a few cold beers at our favorite spot. I got to bed before Andrew who ventured out with John to shop for electronics (a theme of the trip at this point for sure) and learn to play Pachinko.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Shinkansen Ride to Kyoto, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and Tenryū-ji

Posted by Chelsie on May 27, 2015 in Japan, Kyoto | 3 comments

This morning we woke up bright and early and were excited to take a bullet train (Shinkansen) to Kyoto. The train was beautiful and we had spacious first-class seats which were really comfortable. Like everything else in Japan, the Shinkansen was a wonderful experience. We were treated to beautiful views of cities, rural farming areas, mountains, and even the ocean at a few points as we were jetted away at 150 mph to our destination. Despite being a 285-mile journey, it only took us 3 hours to get to Kyoto.

When we arrived at the station we were totally overwhelmed. The main station in Kyoto is a multi-level sprawling complex that seems to never end. It’s literally a city with a city here and guess what? Our hotel is actually inside the train station…that’s how big it is. The great thing is that there is enough people-watching and food options to last a lifetime. After checking into our hotel, we ventured further into the station and found a large department store with a whole floor dedicated to restaurants. We found a delicious-looking katsu (fried pork) place and enjoyed a leisurely lunch that was out of this world. The pork was perfectly fried crispy and tender and the rice was a much superior quality to anything you would find at home. Andrew especially liked the special katsu dipping sauce which was kind of a sweeter, milder version of steak sauce.

After lunch we relaxed a bit in the hotel in our Yukata (lightweight, Japanese house robes) before catching a train to Arashiyama to enjoy the famous bamboo grove and Tenryū-ji, the head temple of the Tenryū branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The inside of the temple had closed already, but the views of the outside were just stunning. Since it was late in the afternoon, the sun was low in the sky, casting a beautiful golden glow to the buildings and surrounding mountains. After that we walked through the famous bamboo forest which was cool and calming.

For dinner we enjoyed Okonomiyaki which are savory pancakes grilled tableside and some Wagyu beef with vegetables. When we asked for a table, the hostess told us that there were no open seats, but that they had another location just a short walk away. We assumed that she would give us a map, but she was so gracious that she called ahead to make sure they had a table and then walked us there herself. The graciousness of the Japanese people never fails to astound us. Dinner was great, but we both decided that the pancakes weren’t our favorite thing.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to seeing some more temples.

Cheers!

Chelsie and Andrew

 

 

 

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