Blogs from Kyoto, Japan, Asia - page 5

Day 5: Our full-day tour began with a rickshaw ride through a bamboo forest. The rickshaws were waiting for us as we entered a neighborhood of Temples (Shinto not Jewish). As we got going it became quickly obvious that a whole lot of tourists have rickshawed this way before. The experience reminded me of the “Handsome Cab” carriages along Central Park South in New York. The difference being that instead of horses pulling the well-worn route there were 20 something young men. Being in rickshaws differed from being on our own two feet in the distance covered, or maybe just how long it took to cover the same distance, but there were thousands of tourists and even more students walking this same route. The drivers had their places to stop for pictures and they took them ... read more

Today I had a pleasurable time exploring more of Kyoto’s temples, shrines, and gardens. My first stop was Nanzen-ji (“South Zen Temple”) which has a lush “stroll garden” with ponds and overhanging maples. The fall colors are just starting and I’m sure this will be even more spectacular in another month. There is a koi pond nearby with huge carp in it. This young tourist was fascinated by them - although it was plain he didn’t care much about Zen gardens in general. There is a famous walking path called The Philosophers Path that leads from Nanzen-ji north to another famous temple: Ginkaku-ji (“The Silver Pavilion Temple”). There were workmen there touching up the patterns in the sand garden. The conical mound of sand in the background is meant to represent Mt Fuji. The pavilion behind ... read more

Today was my first full day in Kyoto and I started out early to see some of the famous temples, shrines, and gardens. There are always a lot of tourists and tour groups in Kyoto so the sights can be crowded. One must set priorities about which ones to see and also which ones to see first before the crowds get too bad. My choice was to take a taxi to Ryoan-ji, a temple within which is the world’s most famous rock and gravel garden. The monks keep the gravel raked in a certain pattern and the stones are said to represent various creatures or objects. It’s all very Zen and I don’t pretend to understand, but it was interesting to see the garden after reading so much about it in preparation for this trip. I ... read more

Today was a travel day, but a little more special than some. I rode the famous Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) from Tokyo to Kyoto. It was very smooth and quiet. It was also comfortable. I understand that their top speed is 200 miles per hour, but the average speed is obviously less. Anyway, I made the journey in less than 2.5 hours, departing and arriving in the heart of each city. Try doing that in an airplane! My one disappointment with the trip was that I didn’t see Mt Fuji. The cloud cover was too thick. Maybe next time... After checking into my hotel, I went out exploring. Kyoto is best known for its high concentration of temples, shrines, and gardens. I had enough time this afternoon to see the Yasaka Shinto Shrine. There were quite ... read more

We didn't sleep well because of the train noise, and decided to get up early, make instant coffee, and head out to visit the main shrine in Kyoto before it got too hot. It's a holiday in Japan today (sports day) and we were not alone in thinking of an early start! We decided to walk the half hour to the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine. It is known for its red tori gates and is the central Shinto shrine. Inari is the god of rice, sake, and prosperity. Foxes are the animal used in representing Inari, I think...since fox statues are everywhere! We spent an hour or so walking some of the paths, before heading toward the Tofukuji Temple. This temple was established in 1236 and is in the Rinzai Zen Buddhist tradition. It has the oldest ... read more