| Returning
from Nikko Anne and I enjoyed our last night in Tokyo before heading
off to see the sights and visit friends in Osaka. Early the next day
we boarded the "Bullet Train" for our journey to Osaka.
As we traveled the 300 miles from Tokyo to Osaka we enjoyed the Japanese
scenery from our speeding train. I guess you might say the highlights
of the short trip was a view of the impressive Mt. Fuji and the snow.
As we approached Osaka we slowed down because of heavy snowfall. To
our surprise six to eight inches blanketed the ground. We would learn
a bit later that it was surprising to everyone. Thankfully by the
time we arrived in Osaka the weather had cleared. |
Mt.
Fuji from the bullet train |
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| Arriving
in Osaka we would meet Kako, a friend who lived near us in New Jersey
for many years before returning to Japan. Over the years we've kept
in touch and visited them once when they were in England. They are
good friends and we looked forward to spending some time with them.
When we arrived Kako was waiting with a big smile and hug for us both.
Little did we know that she had an entire day of sightseeing planned
for us before returning to her home later that night. We stowed our
bags in her car and off we went sightseeing the sights of Kyoto and
Osaka. |
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Sanjusangendo
Hall |
In
Kyoto our first stop would be at Sanjusangendo Hall, the popular
name for Rengeoln Temple. Built in 1164 by Emperor Goshirakawa
who was a devotee of Kannon-Bodhisattva. The thousand-handed Kannon
was believed to have saved mankind by disguising himself into 33 different
figures, and the name Sanjusangendo means "hall with 33 bays."
Inside are housed 1,001 golden images of Kannon (sorry, pictures were
not allowed inside). The original temple burned down in 1249 A.D.
and another of the same style was erected in 1269. This is the building
that we see today in the picture to the left. The grounds are manicured
into an impressive garden area. |
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Tree
bearing fruit |
Immaculate
gardens |
Small
alleyway |
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| Leaving
Sanjusangendo Temple we walked toward our next objective, Kiyomizu
Temple. Walking the streets we were impressed at how clean everything
was and how much pride the Japanese put into manicuring their property.
There seemed to be beautiful Japanese gardens everywhere, and we enjoyed
seeing them. |
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Kiyomizu
Temple
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Kiyomizu
Temple, originally constructed in 798, was rebuilt in 1633 by
Iemitsu, the 3rd Tokugawa shogun. Perched on the side of a hill,
the main hall is supported by 139 pillars, each 49 feet high, and
offers a commanding view of the city below. Unfortunately visiting
in the middle of February as we did doesn't offer the most beautiful
of views as the trees are barren. Postcards were available showing
the Main Hall exactly as shown here but with the trees in full bloom
(red). It was beautiful. (Note: When I visit areas out of season,
like this, I also purchase postcards to include in my albums showing
it in a more beautiful setting or surrounding. However, since I
did not take the picture and do not own the copyright to it I cannot
use them on my web pages.
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| A
word about temples: Japan is a country of temples and, as a result,
they form an important part of the tourist's scheduled. Obviously
they vary in size, importance and content, so it is impossible to
fully describe what they are like in a few short words. But, to give
you a better understanding of what Japanese temples are like to a
visitor I offer the following: Temples are complexes that often consist
of more than one building or structure. They are a collection of buildings
and structures located on a common ground. Inside you might find various
smaller structures or temples devoted to a variety of different things
where the faithful come to pray. They also vary in decoration. Some
are elaborately decorated and painted in bright colors while others
appear to be unpainted wooden structures. |
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A
3-story wooden pagoda
built without a single nail |
Water
fountain for the
faithful |
Praying
at a temple
devoted to love and lovers |
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Brightly
colored shrine |
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Japan
today is like any other modern world capital, a mixture of various
building styles from the ancient temples to the modern skyscrapers
and malls. The Japanese today, for the majority, dress in western
attire and not the traditional Japanese dress we are so accustomed
to seeing on TV. Entering Kiyomizu Temple Kako spotted these two young
Japanese women dressed in the traditional kimonos and, before I knew
what happened, she talked them into letting me take their picture.
It would be the only photo I took of young girls wearing the brightly
colored traditional kimonos. |
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Leaving Kiyomizu Temple we headed to Rokuon-Ji Temple, or what
is commonly called Kinkaku-ji, Temple of the Golden Pavillion.
It was originally the villa of Kintsune Saionji, 1220 A.D. Yoshimitsu,
the 3rd Shogun of Ashikaga, began to build Kitayamaden in 1397 making
Kinkaku the centerpiece of his complex. Following his death Kinkaku
was made into a Zen temple and all of the buildings except Kinkaku
came to ruin. The gardens were maintained and, today, they are as
they were hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately the original building
was destroyed by fire in 1950 and the building we see today was erected
in 1955. |
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| Kinkaku
is set on the edge of a small pond, Kyoko-chi or mirror pond, and
surrounded by immaculate gardens. The main building, The Golden Pavillion,
consists of three different styles of architecture. The first-story
was built in palace style, Shinden-zukuri, and is named Ho-sui-in.
The second floor, named Cho-on-do, is built in the style of a samurai
house, and the third-story is in the Zen temple, or Karayo, style.
The second and third stories are covered in gold leaf over Japanese
lacquer and the roof is thatched with shingles. Extensive repairs
were undertaken and finished in 1987 to bring the building back to
its original splendor. The present gold leaf is five times thicker
than the original. |
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Koi
pond |
Immaculately
manicured
gardens |
Leaving
the Golden Pavillion we headed toward Ryoanji Temple, which
houses the most famous Zen rock garden in all of Japan. The rock garden
consists of 15 rocks surrounded by raked white pebbles and is enclosed
on three sides by a wall and, on the fourth side, by a wooden veranda
where people sit and enjoy the garden. |
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Ryoanji
Temple
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| To
me Ryoanji Temple is symbolic of and represents my impression of the
Japanese people. The Japanese appear to be a spiritual people, deeply
rooted to their history and culture. Here they come to reflect and
meditate on whatever might be important to them at the time. Meant
to be a quiet spot for meditation and reflection it is not as quiet
as you might expect being located in a city. The rock garden is surrounded
by a 1,000 year old pond and beautiful garden grounds. |
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Scenes
on the grounds of Ryoanji Temple
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One
of the primary reasons for our visiting Japan was so that Anne and
I could visit Nat and Kako and their family, good friends who lived
near us in New Jersey and then returned home to Osaka. It had been
several years since we last saw them in England and we looked forward
to seeing them again. Continue to the next page to meet them and see
a little about what life is like for the Japanese ... |
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