Kyoto Day 4

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Today I went sightseeing in some of the farther reaches of the Kyoto area. I started the morning out on the western edge of the city in an area called Arashiyama. (I am staying at a hotel in the eastern part of the city.) My first stop was Tenryu-ji temple which is famous for its garden. This garden incorporates a large pond (with koi), rocks, trees, moss, and raked gravel so it comprises many of the elements of other Japanese gardens. The garden is a nice one but what really pulled me to this side of town is the bamboo grove located right next to it. I can’t describe the sensation as well as the author of the Lonely Planet Guide to Japan, so here it is: “Walking into this extensive bamboo grove is like entering another world –the thick green bamboo stalks seem to continue endlessly in every direction and there’s a strange quality to the light. You’ll be unable to resist trying to take a few photos, but you might be disappointed with the results: photos just can’t capture the magic of this place.” My next destination was to go to Kyoto train station where I caught the train out of town to Nara, a city located about 45 minutes south. Nara is famous for a temple known as Daibutsu, which means “Big Buddha”. One of the largest bronze Buddha statues in the world is located inside one of the largest wooden structures in the world. Before you can get to the Big Buddha, however, you have to pass through the massive gate which is surrounded by hundreds of sika deer. For some reason there is a tradition of feeding the Nara deer and vendors sell “deer cookies” along the path that you have to take. It seemed to please children and adults alike, and the deer obviously like it. There were plenty of school groups as well as tour groups and it felt like a festival atmosphere. When I finally got inside to see the Big Buddha, it was not as impressive as I expected, but it was still a fun place to go. This is my last night in Japan. Tomorrow is a travel day and I’ll tell you about it in the next blog post.

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