Kyoto Treasure of Japanese Gardens Temples & Shrines

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Kyoto

... a TREASURE of Japanese Architecture and Culture

The night we arrived they were predicting rain for the next day

so many of us rushed over to Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park to enjoy the Cherry Blossoms for one last time.



What a delightful surprise awaited us.

There was a Festival going on.


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Weeping Cherry Tree - Nighttime in Maruyama Park next to Yasaka Shrine</td></tr></tbody></table>
After dark... and they lit up the magnificent central <em style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">weeping cherry tree .... and there were lots of food stalls ..... and places to sit under the Blossoms and enjoy Beer and snacks.
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Grilling Fish on Sticks</td></tr></tbody></table>


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Grilled BAMBOO Shoots</td></tr></tbody></table><table class="tr-caption-container" style="padding: 6px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tbody><tr><td>
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Cafe-style Seating under the Trees</td></tr></tbody></table><table class="tr-caption-container" style="padding: 6px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;">
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Fish-shaped WAFFLES filled with Red Bean Paste or Ice Cream</td></tr></tbody></table>

and

below are Grilled Mushrooms with Design cut into the Caps





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NEXT Morning was drizzling but nothing dampened our impression of the ZEN Buddhist Temple known as the Golden Pavillon





We walked the Gardens and paths - ZEN Buddhist Temple - Golden Pavillon






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Many generations Japanese Family</td></tr></tbody></table>






KYOTO ...and NARA have been the center of Japanese Culture for more than 1000 years.



UNESCO - recognizing this fact has designated 17 different Temples, Shrines, and gardens in the area as WORLD HERITAGE Sites.



Of particular interest is the variety and preservation of Wooden Architecture - especially large temples and shrines ... and the Art of Japanese Gardens that have influenced gardens throughout the world.
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Kiyomizu-dera - known for its natural setting, huge Veranda for Pilgrims and its Pure Waterfall</td></tr></tbody></table>


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Buddhist Temple Kiyomizu-dera Built 1633 No Nails</td></tr></tbody></table>

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Pagoda - part of the Kiyomizu-dera Temple Complex</td></tr></tbody></table>
The Great Buddha of TODAI-JI TEMPLE in NARA


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This Buddha is beautifully made and sits 49 Ft Tall -
The small figures around his head are 8 Ft tall each.</td></tr></tbody></table>






This TODAI-JI Temple in NARA houses the Great Bronze Buddha

What an amazing sight when you walk in the door.




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Deer roam freely around the Todaiji Temple.
They are considered messengers of the gods.</td></tr></tbody></table>

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Manhole Covers in Japan are often a striking objects of Art.</td></tr></tbody></table>

as is this one is from the Deer Park of Nara

For a change in Atmosphere ...... the approach to the

Kasuga Temple

takes you on a long walk surrounded by big trees and hundreds of moss-covered Stone Lanterns

There is so MUCH more to see around Kyoto

.... but you'll have to go see for yourself.



(Note: We haven't even touched on the wonderful Japanese Gardens of Kyoto & Nara.)




Before moving on ..... we also enjoyed the Bamboo Forest, the Philosopher's Walk, and an long path at the Fushimi Inari Shrine ...... where the Fox is considered the Messenger of the Gods ....and our path was lined by hundreds of red Torii gates.















We did all this and loved differences.

But Alas, our two-week trip with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) was coming to an end......




At this point ... we traveled by train on our own to go visit our good friends in Osaka.


Yayoi is the Mother of another Homestay student we hosted many years ago.......and we have been writing to each other ever since - nearly 20 years - first by letter and now by email. Her English has continued to improve over the years.

She and her husband Tadakuni have also visited us in our home in the USA.



Near their home is The Sun God tower, it was the symbol of the Osaka World Expo in 1970, and today is located in a beautiful garden of roses and tulips. The National Ethnology Museum, included everything from ancient cultures.....to a very extensive exhibit on music that covered everything from Tribal drums to the music and album covers of our mid-century popular music - think....Elvis, the Kingston Trio, etc, etc.



Our friends invited us to stay in their home so we thoroughly enjoyed this taste of Japanese Life - we even got to sleep on traditional futons in the family "tatami room'. We were so happy to have the chance to experience these traditional Japanese customs in the home of our friends. Below you can see the custom of storing the Futons away during the day and bringing them out at night. Just in case you are wondering......yes, we were very comfortable and slept very well.



Also there are pictures of some of the beautiful and delicious foods presented when they took us to a weekend BUFFET at a popular hotel near their home.






































On April 10th we said goodbye to our friends and to Japan.

It was a wonderful country to visit.

We came home with many wonderful memories.....

like this Mother and her two young daughters we saw in Kyoto. (We were so captivated by the girls' enthusiasm that we put titles on this photo and used it as an opener of a slide show of our trip.

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