One Thousand One

Sanjusangendo is our latest temple, home of 1001 statues of the Goddess of Mercy.

There are also other dieties like the God of thunder, here in the bottom of the frame. Many of the statues are quite dynamic as if they were frozen in motion. The hall itself is a marvel--120 meters long and Japan's longest wooden structure. 

Theoretically each statue has 21 heads and 1000 arms to help humans fight suffering. Now most of the heads and arms are very small and are multiples by the 25 planes of existence to reach 1000.  Very cool, don't you think? 

The central Kannon is gorgeously serene. These photos are from postcards as no photography is allowed. 

Then--- we shopped! And finally dropped! But we had such a good time  selecting the perfect gifts for family and  friends.

We returned to the shopping street near Kiyomizadera, and, while Sam shopped in one place, I took pictures of pilgrims/tourists. Aren't we all really pilgrims when we visit temples? Even in rented kimonos?

Had a pleasant walk on narrow little streets downhill from the temple and saw these cheery travelers--

Their driver was working hard, but he is paid VERY well.

We came upon this pagoda on our way--

And one more temple:

There was an interesting circle we all walked through three times--2x left and once to the right. There were directions on what to do but not why to do it. We figured, "Why not!"

Great lion dog to guard the entry (we came in the side.)

And more rented kimonos--

Finally, dinner overlooking the river

And home.

It's Kyoto, home of more temples and shrines than you can ever see!

Sam with her umbrella walking through Torii gates at Fushima Inari Shine. There are thousands of these! Some are so close together, I could barely insert my

hand between them. Inari is the name of, roughly speaking, the fox God, so images of foxes abound, and even the wooden prayer cards are fox shaped. 

Isn't it a magnificent place?!!!

Lunch in Nara

From Fushima to Nara, the ancient capital of Japan before Kyoto and well before Nara. It is now home to Daibutsu, the world's largest bronze statue of Buddha  at 49'.  The Kamakura Buddha is 43.8'.

These golden horns on the roof signify this is his home. 

He is magnificent! 

Wandering the precinct toward Kasuga Taisha, we encountered the pesky Nara deer, who are constantly fed crackers purchased from vendors recognized by the deer. They are cute pests who can become pushy and even worse if someone they know has their crackers is not forthcoming enough. We bought no crackers, took only pictures.

Now to Kasuga Taisha shrine, famous for its many (thousands!) lanterns. It is a Shinto shrine and was established when Nara was capital all those centuries ago. Remember, lanterns are the theme here.

Inside as well--

I think you get the picture; can you imagine when they're all alight as they are a few times each year.

Rode trains back and crashed for a while; Jame went out on an errand for Hideko, and when it was dinner time, via text Jame sent directions where to meet. Sam and I subway'ed alone, and Sam was pumped up with excitement! Here she is feeling proud! 

Ah, the Temples of Kyoto!

It is raining rather heavily as I write--and Jame is out in it--but we've done very well with the weather. We even had some blue sky for Kinkakuji yesterday!

But I'll start at the beginning. Sam and I wanted a more American style breakfast, and she located a place where we enjoyed ham and eggs, cold mashed potatoes, and salad --

Plus a very good cafe au lait.

Then off we canned to Kinkakuji, theGolden Temple. It is covered--the top two stories--in gold, the real stuff!  The interior is golden as well though we weren't invited in, and the floors are highly lacquered to magnify the effect

June is the month for school trips and there are students everywhere! Here are some guided by a monk at Kinlakuji.

Most, but not all, wear uniforms-

Next stop--Riyoanji, a Zen temple that is my favorite! Wisely, the student groups don't come here. The focal point is the magnificent raked rock garden:

Taking a panoramic shot curved the image; it really isn't like that, but at least you can see the whole thing!

The grounds are serene as well; here's Sam practicing her meditation with her hands folded like the Buddha at Kamakura!

 

Then to Niko Castle, or Nijo-Jo. Here is the impressive gate--

No photography inside, but the grounds are another serene haven.

Here is a conscientious gardener; he was often clipping a single leaf at a time!

And aren't these trees fascinating? We expected to see The Lorax pop out!

To complete our day we went shopping at this arcade; I spent a pot of money, mostly on myself!

I'm writing on my phone now since the program doesn't upload from my iPad. Writing is painstaking, no rewrites or fine tuning, sorry.

Kyoto: Smaller Crowds, Slower Pace

UWe said good-bye to the house that had served us adequately and well enough and walked up to the station. Here was our view as we waited those few minutes-

A few hours later we were settled into our ryokan (inn) beside a small branch of the river in Kyoto.

We took a taxi to the gate of Kiyomizadera Temple, saving much time and avoiding an uphill climb, though there was still much upward slope to navigate. It covers quite a large area.

Sam took the selfie this time because I wanted as much time as possible at the temple; as it was , many shops selling charms closed as we entered.

Very cool pair of dragons!

I think you recognize this fine fellow.

Schoolgirls on class trip tying prayers 

Charms for traffic safety, good childbirth, passing exams, etc.

Temple closing, we walk down the hill past shops and tourists dressed in yukata.

On to conveyer belt sushi! Sam tried the (canned corn) 'sushi.'

This morning we saw storks (from the river nearby) resting on the roofline of a nearby building!

And now---Let's see if this posts!