Shinto and Us

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Other than touring the sites, we also tried to practice our bad Japanese on the kind people that would help us, the temple cleaners, the attendants and the poor cab drivers. They had a lot of patience with us for being so clumsy! That is the main feeling I have here, that I am a bull in a china shop and I have to be extra careful everywhere as I am just so coarse and the Japanese are so cultured. hahaha...I am a barbarian after all. The two barbarians got into the Imperial Palace! It is the latest of the Imperial palaces built at or near its site in the north-eastern part of the old capital on Heiankyo after the abandonment of the larger original Heian Palace that was located to the west of the current palace during the Heian Period. The Palace lost much of its function at the time of the Meiji Restoration, when the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1869. However, the Taisho and Showa Emperors still had their coronation ceremonies there. The current Emperor was not but had the throne sent to Tokyo for his ceremony. The people of Kyoto were not impressed. He did visit there last on the event of his wife's 60th birthday.

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Photos

Shrine begging
At Shino and Buddhist shrines, people leave prayer plaques asking for specific things counting on the deity, such as these ones asking for help in school or to pass an exam.

Imperial Palace
The tour begins.

Emperor's Gate
The Emperor was the only one who could come through this gate, painted like a shinto shrine to show his religious power as well.

Empress Gate
When the Empress would enter from.

pre-school outting
These cute kids were in the park after our tour, they are colour coded by age! Adorable.

To-ji five story pagoda
The pagoda of Tō-ji stands 57 m high, and is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. It dates from the Edo period, when it was rebuilt by order of the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu. The pagoda has been, and continues to be, a symbol of Kyoto.

Us and the pagoda
I'm too cool for this pagoda.

Railroad Museum
An under-reported site, this place has the history of the steam train and about 20 working locomotives, a roundhouse and the Imperial Train that carried the emperors. Very cool.