I have a TON to tell everyone about the trip to Thailand (what craziness), but while I go through the pics, let me caught up on old stuff- like when Steve and I went to Kyoto in January...
(FYI: I haven't finished adding all the pics to this blog yet!)
Three words: I love Kyoto.
The city has a great vibe: lots of young people hanging out by the canals, great shopping, as well as tons of culture and history. The first stop was Fushimi Inari Taisho.
I'd read a lot about this shrine and it definitely didn't disappoint. ‘Inari’ is a deity that’s worshipped at both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan. It was related to the rice harvest, but now is associated with business and prosperity in general. The fox is considered a helper or messenger of Inari (and sometimes considered the Inari itself, though some of the monks frown on this).
Many Shinto shrines have guardians at the gates, and at this Taisho, they, of course, have two foxes. One holds an odd-looking key in its mouth- the key to the rice granaries- and the other holds a round jewel.
The Fushimi complex was beautiful and, if you leave the crowds to climb the entire 1,000 torii (the vermillion gates) path up the mountain, it’s very tranquil. Steve and I went because I had heard about a kyudo (archery) ceremony taking place. They did a purification ritual first.
Then two monks shot off two arrows each. In all, 3 hit the target, which I believe should signify a fairly good harvest for the coming year.
Afterwards, we climbed the whole path around the mountain (ok, its more like a very large hill, but anyway…). Families donate money to have the gates or 'torii' built, so there are different sizes depending on their contribution. The torii line the entire path, which takes about 2 hours to complete.
It was beautiful, but my knees were terrible by the time we reached the bottom again. (Old war injury… alright, alright, so it’s really from breaking my toes after falling from my loft in college, but either way it makes climbing painful.)
That night we went to a jazz club (after getting a little lost trying to find the hotel) and I hobbled along until we found the place. It was a fun time, though, and Steve was invited to play with the other musicians. I massaged my legs that night and took a hot bath and was way better the next day.
We’d invited our pal Emily to Kyoto to be our tour guide and she really was a great help! First she took us to Sanjuusangendo Temple, which was absolutely amazing!
Here’s a little info on the temple from a good site I found: “Sanjusangendo" means a hall with 33 bays. The number 33 is sacred in Buddhism, for it is believed that Buddha saves mankind by disguising himself in 33 different forms. The 33 bays hold 1,001 statues of Kannon-Bosatsu! Each small image is 5 1/2 feet tall, carved out of wood and leafed in gold. In the center, the principal image of Kannon is 11 feet tall. It was an amazing sight.
Also, ‘Kannon’ is a bodhisattva of mercy and compassion in Buddhism. (A bodhisattva is someone who has reached enlightenment, but refuses to fully accept nirvana- or release from the cycle of suffering-in order to pray for the freedom of all other suffering beings.) I’m familiar with the image being female, but here Kannon is male. I’ve always been attracted to this particular bodhisattva, in all his/her forms and after walking passed so many of the small statues, when you finally come to the large image of Kannon… well, for me it was overwhelming. I actually got all choked up. Steve admitted later that he was really moved too. All day I was trying to find the reasons behind my inexplicable tears, but Steve took everything in stride, trying to tell me that it’s a spiritual experience by nature of the fact that you can’t explain it- which is true of course, but my logical mind wanted answers!
As I’ve said before, however, these are not conversion experiences for either of us, because we don’t adhere to any one belief system in the first place. It’s really amazing, though, to visit these places and feel the spiritual energy there. It seems quite obvious that these places hold and represent a energy that goes beyond the borders of any one religion.
I’m waxing way too philosophical here. Can you tell I don’t have many people to talk to about these things? *laugh*
While we were at Sanjuusangendo, we found out that one of the largest (or THE largest) kyudo archery competitions was happening there the next day. There’s over 2,000 participants (the complex isn’t that large, I have no idea how they fit so many people) and the women who are ‘coming of age’ (turning 20) compete in their formal kimono. The competition has been held every year for centuries. The temple has a lot of info on this, and it’s mentioned that the most impressive competition took place (if I remember correctly) a couple hundred years ago. The archers had to shoot off as many arrows as possible for a full 24hrs. The winner shot off an ungodly amount that I can’t remember now, but I swear I have written down somewhere. It averaged to something like one every 7 seconds or something insane like that!
After Sanjuusangendo, we went to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which is built largely on stilts along the mountainside and is vying to be one of the ‘new 7 wonders of the world’, though I didn’t think it was *that* great and Steve was rather unimpressed after Sanjuusangendo.
Next we went to the main Shrine in Gion- where we spotted some maiko and geisha and tried not to stare too much! *lol*
Surprisingly, Kyoto had the most foreigners by far of any place I've seen (even Tokyo). It’s a very cosmopolitan city and it’s definitely my favorite. (Ok, Osaka still wins for shopping but, I digress...) Even though Kyoto has tons of traditional culture, its facilities- like the main train station and the subway- are very modern and quite impressive. They’re even rather futuristic!
Before we headed back to Nara, we wandered a bit in a nearby shopping district that had built up amidst one of the older sections of Kyoto, so that right in the middle of the shopping arcades you’d suddenly hit old, little family shrines sandwiched between the shiny stores. An odd but very interesting experience.
That day I’d finally remembered to start asking for the ‘go-shuiin’ at all the temples and shrines. The go-shuiin is kind of like the official seal of each temple/shrine. You can buy a little blank book at any of the larger establishments and then anywhere you go, you can pay 300 yen (a little under $3) to have one of the monks write the name in calligraphy and stamp the sheet with the hanko, or seal. It’s mostly used to mark visits to the famous places, especially if you’re going on the famous 88 temple pilgrimage in Kyushu. (Takes about 60 days on foot, maybe someday I’ll do it!)
I asked for the go-shuiin at even the little temple in the arcade, though, and I think I amused and surprised them with the request.
At the train station on the way home, we saw more maiko (apprentice geisha) and got some ‘mochi creams’, from a store in the station. They were mochi (glutenous rice) on the outside and cool cream inside. Pretty cool. I need to go back and try some more! *hehe*
I wish we could've stayed longer, but it’s fairly close-by, so I know I'll be back soon! Late March is sakura (cherry blossom) season too, and Kyoto is supposed to be gorgeous then! There’s a little matcha (green tea) shop in Gion that I’m hoping to visit when I go back. Ah, Kyoto…
(FYI: I haven't finished adding all the pics to this blog yet!)
Three words: I love Kyoto.
The city has a great vibe: lots of young people hanging out by the canals, great shopping, as well as tons of culture and history. The first stop was Fushimi Inari Taisho.
I'd read a lot about this shrine and it definitely didn't disappoint. ‘Inari’ is a deity that’s worshipped at both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan. It was related to the rice harvest, but now is associated with business and prosperity in general. The fox is considered a helper or messenger of Inari (and sometimes considered the Inari itself, though some of the monks frown on this).
Many Shinto shrines have guardians at the gates, and at this Taisho, they, of course, have two foxes. One holds an odd-looking key in its mouth- the key to the rice granaries- and the other holds a round jewel.
The Fushimi complex was beautiful and, if you leave the crowds to climb the entire 1,000 torii (the vermillion gates) path up the mountain, it’s very tranquil. Steve and I went because I had heard about a kyudo (archery) ceremony taking place. They did a purification ritual first.
Then two monks shot off two arrows each. In all, 3 hit the target, which I believe should signify a fairly good harvest for the coming year.
Afterwards, we climbed the whole path around the mountain (ok, its more like a very large hill, but anyway…). Families donate money to have the gates or 'torii' built, so there are different sizes depending on their contribution. The torii line the entire path, which takes about 2 hours to complete.
It was beautiful, but my knees were terrible by the time we reached the bottom again. (Old war injury… alright, alright, so it’s really from breaking my toes after falling from my loft in college, but either way it makes climbing painful.)
That night we went to a jazz club (after getting a little lost trying to find the hotel) and I hobbled along until we found the place. It was a fun time, though, and Steve was invited to play with the other musicians. I massaged my legs that night and took a hot bath and was way better the next day.
We’d invited our pal Emily to Kyoto to be our tour guide and she really was a great help! First she took us to Sanjuusangendo Temple, which was absolutely amazing!
Here’s a little info on the temple from a good site I found: “Sanjusangendo" means a hall with 33 bays. The number 33 is sacred in Buddhism, for it is believed that Buddha saves mankind by disguising himself in 33 different forms. The 33 bays hold 1,001 statues of Kannon-Bosatsu! Each small image is 5 1/2 feet tall, carved out of wood and leafed in gold. In the center, the principal image of Kannon is 11 feet tall. It was an amazing sight.
Also, ‘Kannon’ is a bodhisattva of mercy and compassion in Buddhism. (A bodhisattva is someone who has reached enlightenment, but refuses to fully accept nirvana- or release from the cycle of suffering-in order to pray for the freedom of all other suffering beings.) I’m familiar with the image being female, but here Kannon is male. I’ve always been attracted to this particular bodhisattva, in all his/her forms and after walking passed so many of the small statues, when you finally come to the large image of Kannon… well, for me it was overwhelming. I actually got all choked up. Steve admitted later that he was really moved too. All day I was trying to find the reasons behind my inexplicable tears, but Steve took everything in stride, trying to tell me that it’s a spiritual experience by nature of the fact that you can’t explain it- which is true of course, but my logical mind wanted answers!
As I’ve said before, however, these are not conversion experiences for either of us, because we don’t adhere to any one belief system in the first place. It’s really amazing, though, to visit these places and feel the spiritual energy there. It seems quite obvious that these places hold and represent a energy that goes beyond the borders of any one religion.
I’m waxing way too philosophical here. Can you tell I don’t have many people to talk to about these things? *laugh*
While we were at Sanjuusangendo, we found out that one of the largest (or THE largest) kyudo archery competitions was happening there the next day. There’s over 2,000 participants (the complex isn’t that large, I have no idea how they fit so many people) and the women who are ‘coming of age’ (turning 20) compete in their formal kimono. The competition has been held every year for centuries. The temple has a lot of info on this, and it’s mentioned that the most impressive competition took place (if I remember correctly) a couple hundred years ago. The archers had to shoot off as many arrows as possible for a full 24hrs. The winner shot off an ungodly amount that I can’t remember now, but I swear I have written down somewhere. It averaged to something like one every 7 seconds or something insane like that!
After Sanjuusangendo, we went to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, which is built largely on stilts along the mountainside and is vying to be one of the ‘new 7 wonders of the world’, though I didn’t think it was *that* great and Steve was rather unimpressed after Sanjuusangendo.
Next we went to the main Shrine in Gion- where we spotted some maiko and geisha and tried not to stare too much! *lol*
Surprisingly, Kyoto had the most foreigners by far of any place I've seen (even Tokyo). It’s a very cosmopolitan city and it’s definitely my favorite. (Ok, Osaka still wins for shopping but, I digress...) Even though Kyoto has tons of traditional culture, its facilities- like the main train station and the subway- are very modern and quite impressive. They’re even rather futuristic!
Before we headed back to Nara, we wandered a bit in a nearby shopping district that had built up amidst one of the older sections of Kyoto, so that right in the middle of the shopping arcades you’d suddenly hit old, little family shrines sandwiched between the shiny stores. An odd but very interesting experience.
That day I’d finally remembered to start asking for the ‘go-shuiin’ at all the temples and shrines. The go-shuiin is kind of like the official seal of each temple/shrine. You can buy a little blank book at any of the larger establishments and then anywhere you go, you can pay 300 yen (a little under $3) to have one of the monks write the name in calligraphy and stamp the sheet with the hanko, or seal. It’s mostly used to mark visits to the famous places, especially if you’re going on the famous 88 temple pilgrimage in Kyushu. (Takes about 60 days on foot, maybe someday I’ll do it!)
I asked for the go-shuiin at even the little temple in the arcade, though, and I think I amused and surprised them with the request.
At the train station on the way home, we saw more maiko (apprentice geisha) and got some ‘mochi creams’, from a store in the station. They were mochi (glutenous rice) on the outside and cool cream inside. Pretty cool. I need to go back and try some more! *hehe*
I wish we could've stayed longer, but it’s fairly close-by, so I know I'll be back soon! Late March is sakura (cherry blossom) season too, and Kyoto is supposed to be gorgeous then! There’s a little matcha (green tea) shop in Gion that I’m hoping to visit when I go back. Ah, Kyoto…
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