Oh My Buddha! That's a lot of temples!

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  Kyoto, Kinki, Japan
Thursday, July 9, 2009

Got a lot to report today!

After a late night of conversations on every topic imaginable, we got up the latest of this trip today (9 am) and headed out into the wet, gray city to get a dose of holiness that could only do some of us good.
Unlike the last few days, today we used the city bus system to get around. Though the bus lines can be a little more confusing, the process of getting to a stop and getting on and off the bus is infinitely simpler. Even more than in cities like New York or Paris, speed is the main rule in Japanese subways. It can be a little stressful, even when we know where we're going because I always feel like I'm in the way or blocking someone who needs to go faster.
The first temple, Sanjusangen, was as much art museum as holy building. The temple is one enormous hallway with 1,000 life-size statues of Buddha arranged like a giant, billion armed chorus. 28 larger statues of deities are placed throughout the temple. They ranged from violent and terrifying heavenly generals to bird-beaked musicians. Unfortunately most of these temples have restrictions on photography and I was only able to get pictures from outside of this temple.
The second temple, Kiyomizu, is at the top of a huge hill. Walking up the hill was an adventure in itself. The road is a one-way street, barely wide enough for car to get through, much less a car, pedestrians, and a bike. Several times my camera bag came within centimeters of a car. The entrance to the temple includes a huge stairway and an enormous, beautiful entrance.
The most striking part of this temple, however, is a cave.

Gates at 1st temple

For 100 yen, visitors can descend into UTTER darkness leading themselves by a handrail. After walking through the tunnel, you eventually round a corner and see a single shaft of light falling on a perfectly stone rock. The dramatic and drawn-out scene symbolizes the journey to and the moment of enlightenment. Were it not for the incredibly loud schoolchildren who were in the cave with us, I think the tunnel might have been my favorite part of the trip so far.
The rest of the temple consisted of a massive complex of shrines, gardens, fountains, and temples, all on a huge hill overlooking all of Kyoto.
On the way down, we stopped for lunch and souvenirs. Despite the talk of Japan being an expensive country, I have found most of our food and accommodations to be very reasonable. Tax and tip are already added into every price, so despite higher "sticker" value, I actually end up spending less money, especially on food.
The incredible sand-sculptures and gardens impressed me most about the third temple, Ginkakuji. Walking through the peaceful, green, moist woods and winding around the complex's pristine pond's can only be described as peaceful, even with the presence of other tourists.
Our final temple, Kinkakuji, was certainly the most visually striking. Settled on the bank of a still, green pond and flanked by sculpted pines, the three story tall, gold-leaf temple stands, reflected in the water before it. Bathed in the gentle last light of the afternoon sun, the temple appears majestic and awe-inspiring.
Without realizing it, our temple journey had taken us over an hour's bus ride from our hotel. We headed back anyway to shower and recuperate. After everyone was bathed and refreshed, we headed to one of my favorite parts of the trip so far. The conveyor belt sushi bar! Sitting on a bar around a conveyor belt, you just have to grab whatever goes by. All the items were set at the ludicrously cheap price of 135 yen. I ate 8 orders of nigiri and 1 order of rolls. With the help of Yusuke, I tried raw octopus, sea urchin, salmon caviar, ahi tuna, friend bean curd, and several others. With the exception of Sea Urchin (too raw), I could not have been happier.
So now we're back at the hotel winding down. Rob, Aaron, and Satoshi have found a club and are currently out getting their groove on. Tomorrow is marked for shopping Osaka (the 2nd biggest city in the country!).

That's all for now!

Ben

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Washing hands at the well of crying infants	Entrance to 2nd temple	School children at fountain	The Golden Pavilian

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