July 13, 2010

It's raining but that's ok. Met in the lobby at 8:30am...caught the #12 bus to Nijo Castle but it's closed! Oh well, we'll be back tomorrow, we must remain flexible. Back on the bus to Kinkakuji and it's stunning! It's quite hectic because there's so many people but I imagine that it could be quite serene, if I was alone. The pond has a calming effect for me and the reflections in the pond seemed to make me want to reflect on my life.




The beautiful gold-leaf Chinese Phoenix tops Kinkakuji. It's so beautiful!









It's really a natural setting, the railings are made from bamboo, it's rather nice.




The roof of the shacks catch my eye, it's made from what looks like thatch and if you look closely, there's moss growing all over the roof! Natural beauty....wabi sabi. Imperfections in natural beauty is seen as beautiful.



According to the brochure, Kinkakuji has 3 types of architecture. The first floor is the palace style, the second floor is the samurai house and the third floor is Zen temple style.


The best thing is that we are starting to bond, everyone's nice!



Ok, here's my biggest fear.....that I'll have to use one of these! Yikes! But if nature calls and I have no other choice.....oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do!







Taxied it to Ryoanji. It's peaceful here too!





Tranquility...........



Here there's wabi sabi as well as shown in the natural beauty.

The fences are made of bamboo.






And.......





There's moss growing everywhere.




Ryoanji Temple is where we experienced our first hand washing (cleansing) ceremony before we entered the temple.






As we make our way up to the temple,
we come across this Buddhist statue nicely tucked away in the brush. Wow!





Stairs, as I'll soon find out, is very common in Japan. It's also a way of life in Japan, everyone walks everyday.




The lotus plant/flower, a symbol of reaching enlightenment in the pond at Ryoanji Temple.







Ryoanji Temple, Rock Garden.......So Peaceful!



As noted in "Japan, its History and Culture", the simplicity of rocks, pond, and raked sand is an aid to meditation in Zen Buddhism.

It's a time to meditate, indulge ourselves in the moment, empty out the hustle bustle in our lives and just relax, even if just for a moment. What do you see, what do you feel?





Caught a taxi to have lunch at Yoshinoya...mmm. George had the beef bowl and I had the kimchee bowl. Yum!


Next stop.......Toji-Temple via the bus.



Toji-Temple is a Buddhist Temple which dates from 796.

Check out these massive doors at the entrance. Can you imagine how many people it took to construct and install these gates?


I love the architecture of these buildings.






Yakushi-nyorai Triad is housed in the Kondo Hall (lt) and a set of twenty one Vajrayanistic statues are in the Lecture Hall (rt).
This is where I first saw the Cycle of Life Wheel, with eight points which represent the Eight Fold Path.











The grouds of the Toji-Temple are absolutely lush and beautiful. Remember that the Emperors lived here centuries ago. To think the Japanese have preserved these temples for so many years, unreal!










The Pagoda is Five Stories High. Up close it seems so massive! It is called the "Antenna to Heaven".




Picture Perfect! So serene, calming.............I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to visit Japan and all that it has to offer!





Off to JR Kyoto via taxi. George & I went on our own to find a camera charger at BicCamera, scary but we did it!







Tonight we had our first Banquet. Let's just say it was an experience I'll never forget! We need some rest, according to my pedometer we walked 25,940 steps! Wow!









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