Today I took it easy. I walked to what I thought was a train but was in fact a tramway. It was slow but great to navigate the city at street level while seating.
After I arrived at destination, north west of the city, I decided it was time for breakfast. I heard Portishead coming from the stereo of one of the café so had to get in. The café was inspired by tibetan color, the waitress, a Japanese of Korean origins, absolutely adorable. After my mango lassi I thought it was time to head off to my first stop of the day: Ninnaji. The temple founded in 888, served as a residence for the ex-emperor and is now the headquarter of the Omuro School of Flower Arrangement and the Omuro School of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. I was able to visit the "palace", which has several houses linked together by covered wooden passages and surrounded by garden. I was lucky to bump into a couple getting married in traditional kimonos and was allowed to take a photo of them (obviously they're looking at the actual photographer). Must say that my T-chan and S-san looked so much better. He he he.
The rest of the ground of the temple hosts several smaller temples (all closed), a 5-storey pagoda and Omuro cherry, a type of cherry tree with nearly no trunks, must be beautiful at the blossom season.
Afterwards I walked to what I thought would be the highlight of my day: Ryoanji temple, famous for its zen garden. The architect of the garden left no explanations so nobody knows the signification behind the 15 stones. The guide tells you to look at it and several explanations will come to you. Well, first it was busy, then seeing the garden I felt absolutely nothing, nada, rien, nanimonai. Disappointed I followed the arrows, saw a nice little gate, a nice pond/lake and left. Bouhhhhhhhhhhh
After a stop at Family Mart for quick lunch, I then made my way to the top of the top destination the golden pavilion or Kinkakuji. I first heard about it reading a novel by Mishima. So I was expecting a huge monument but no,no, no it's "only" 3 storeys high but still striking. (I'd like to thank the heron at the bottom of the picture for posing).
The 1st floor is built in the palace style, the 2nd floor in the style of a samurai house and last floor in a zen temple style. I couldn't actually get in the building but some poor photos outside showed how it looks like inside. But the golden pavilion is only a part of this zen temple so the rest of the walk was very pleasant. Of course there were lots of tourists but it was still fine to move around.
I stopped for coffee (yes today I took it easy) and the guy was horrified when I told him I wanted to walk to my next destination. "But you know It's 20mn!" Obviously, he had no idea who he was talking to!
So recharged in cafeine I walked to the final destination of the day: Daitoku-ji. The place is actually enclosed within some tall walls and inside, there are at least 25 temples with beautiful paved alleys. It's like turning the clock back in time: quiet, sound of the wind in the leaves, the smell of damp wood and beautiful anywhere you look. Most of the temples were closed to the public but I was able to enter 3 of them.
First one was a zen garden, Daisen-in Temple. This is the most beautiful rock garden I've seen in 4 days. At the reception i was given a leaflet in english explaining why every rock is where it is. I think that the combination of understanding the meaning (to do with the cycle of life) and the amazing aesthetics, made me fall in love with it. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take photos so sorry but I can't share what I saw but look it up on the internet. I wanted to buy a little leaflet but the quality of the paper and the printing were so bad I just couldn't do it.
Then I went to Soken-in, another little temple, very exquisite but was packed with japanese tourists and there was no explanations in English so was a bit lost at what was what. Nevermind, next.
At this point it started to rain but I persisted (I live in England afterall) and reached Koto-in zen temple. Again, absolutely beautiful. First, I passed through a little forest of bamboos then entered the temple and at the first corner fell in love with the view through the paper screen.
I walked quickly through the garden and the houses but had to come back again and again to this view. I had to be quick as the temple was closing but a great way to finish my tour of temples in Kyoto.
Initially I thought I'd walk to the tube station, maybe 30mn walk but it was still raining so asked an old lady at the bus stop if any bus was going to Kyoto station and bingo! It went. So the return trip was again very pleasant, sitting and looking at Kyoto, now by night.
Tomorrow morning I'm heading to Kobe....
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No no no I haven't forgotten about the result, less than a year later, with some serious renovation done ...dadadadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
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