November 10, 2023: Kyoto Key Temples and Shrines

 

The grounds of Ginkakuji Temple in Fall 

There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness.

Dalai Lama

     Today, we scooted around Kyoto by bus and train (and one Uber!) to see temples and a shrine. It is often said colloquially that there are about 800 Shinto shrines and 1700 Buddhist temples in Kyoto, but seriously, who's counting?f you stayed in Kyoto for several years, you might have a chance of seeing most of them. In a day, FOUR!  And that was pushing it!

 And although the Dalai Lama is right about the religion being in the heart, these temples were built as early as 700 AD and they didn't have much use for the Dalai Lama's internalization of concepts. These places are big, bold and beautiful. 

     Most dedicated travellers think of visiting Japan in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, but I have to give two thumbs up to fall foliage. We really have enjoyed the cacophony of yellow, red, orange, green and brown all over the country.  And the visit ot Ginkakuji Temple and Garden was no exception. 

Ginkakuji, the  Temple of the Silver Pavilion, is a temple of Rinazi Zen Buddhism built in 1482 initally at the site of a retirement villa for the eighth shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa.  This site enjoys a UNESCO world heritage site designations since 1994. 

It drizzled rain all day which decreased the tourist crowds!

From the hilltop of the temple, you get a nice view of Kyoto. 

From this temple, we walked the Philosopher's Way,  a pleasant stone path that follows a canal lined with hundreds of cherry trees.  The path is approximately two kilometers long and connects Ginkakuji temple to Nanzenji Temple. It was an okay walk in the rain but I didn't appreciate anything very philosophical about it, although likely many such conversations were held between Buddhist monks. Paul has a degree in philosophy so I asked him who is favorite philosopher was and he didn't have a fave. He said his favorite course was logic and that he thought most people misunderstood Marx.  Then we arrived at Nanzenji Temple. This is another Zen Buddhist Temple which tend to be less ornate than the Pure Land variety, and these building have been destroyed by fire (as have so many Japanese wood constructions) in 1394, 1448, and 1467. The current building were constructed in 1570-1600. Coming from such a young country, finding anything that old seems very amazing. 

Fall color in the temples

The walkway. Photos within temple grounds are NOT welcome. 

Nanzenji Temple---photo lifted off the "interwebs." This is considered one of the five great Zen temples of Japan.

Our next stop was lunch! Always a pleasure in Japan and we had soba noodles. Yum. From here we wandered in the rain to temple #3: Eikando. (One of our Brit fellow travellers said, "I can do, too. "

Eikando (永観堂, Eikandō), formally known as Zenrinji Temple, belongs to the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism and is located north of Nanzenji.  Eikando is very famous for fall color and the evening illuminations that take place in fall. The temple has a long history, and there are a variety of buildings and a pond garden that visitors can explore.

A court noble  donated his villa to a priest, who converted it into a temple under the name Zenrinji (lit. "temple in a calm grove"). 

Fall foliage in the rain storm

A look from the pagoda

Again, photos of the actual temple not welcome, so here is an internet version

Our last stop was my favorite, Heian Jingu Shrine. This is a Shinto shrine and had the most lovely garden. The rain had nearly stopped by this time which added to the enjoyment, but the area was so peaceful, even in the heart of a city of 1.45 million people. 

The Heian Jingu Shrine 

   The building was kept as a shrine in memory of the 50th Emperor Kammu, who was the Emperor when Heian-kyō became the capital. In 1940, Emporer Kommei was added to the list of dedication.

In 1976, part of the Shrine caught on fire, and nine of the buildings, including the main sanctuary, burned down. Three years later, the burned buildings were reconstructed with money collected from donations.

Our guide on this portion of our trip, David Lam, in the garden of the shrine. 

This garden was beautiful and extensive and takes up the majority of the land owned by the shrine. 

An old Japanese Trolley on display in the garden

This torii gate entry to the shrine is one of the largest in Japan. Note the bus on the right to give you an idea of the scale. 

     One thing we haven't discussed and will do so later in our "helpful hints for visiting Japan" section at the end of the trip is the importance of Seven Eleven if you are Japanese or especially a tourist. Seven Eleven is EVERYWHERE, has really good food and will give you cash on a US bankcard--something most Japanese banks won't do!  There are a lot of rules in Japan and one of them is don't eat and drink and walk. So when people buy food at Seven Eleven, they eat it AT the convenience store before leaving. They have indoor seating and microwaves, but many people prefer to eat outside. So whereas in the USA, if you see people loitering around a convenience store, they are probably homeless. But in Japan, hanging out in front of a convenince store is A-okay and normal. 

Tourists and Locals alike loitering around in front of Seven Eleven. 

     That night, we did NOT eat at Seven Eleven (although admittedly we did have breakfast there!) We found a hidden gem---another tiny back alley restaurant that has 10 seats in it, called Asperge Blanc. The chef uses charcoal (only the finest according to the menu from the Wakagama Prefecture) to grill all the entrees and is French-trained. (The Japanese do seem to have an obsession with French food.)  His wife is the waitress and she speaks English well, but NO French. :) 

The menu is in Japanese. There are no choices except what the chef is cooking that night. Trust me. You aren't going to choose anything better than what he is making. 

Overall, this was a rainy but pretty day full of culture and the changing of leaves. Consider the fall for your Japan trip. Cherry blossoms are cool, but we're partial to the autumn weather and palette. 

“I loved the quiet places in Kyoto, the places that held the world within a windless moment. Inside the temples, Nature held her breath. All longing was put to sleep in the stillness, and all was distilled into a clean simplicity.
The smell of woodsmoke, the drift of incense; a procession of monks in black-and-gold robes, one of them giggling in a voice yet unbroken; a touch of autumn in the air, a sense of gathering rain.”
― Pico Iyer, Video Night in Kathmandu and Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East

Paul's Ponderings:  A lovely day out in Kyoto...it was a bit drizzly off and on, but in a way that made it better since it kep the crowds down.    This is a major city in the "triangle" among Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka and we had a great time out.   We wish we could have spent more time here, but maybe on our return we'll do so.    The center of Kyoto is very densely populated and transited with some massive public spaces.    The temple areas were also not overly busy with locals/tourists likely due to the off and on light drizzle, which did not slow us down at all and actually kept things pretty fresh.   We did have some outstanding food here -- both a lot of local cuisine and some French food a la Japanese style.