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We made it top the top of Daimonji
Ginkakuji sand dome
The beautiful view of Kyoto from the top of Daimonji
GinkakujiSo I’ve been here for about a month and have yet to reveal the meat of my stay in Kyoto. I told you about my host family, a bit about what classes I’m taking, but nothing about the daring expeditions or the life threatening something or the other. To be honest, I’ve been a little preoccupied with falling behind in schoolwork to visit a lot of the local temples and playing in Osaka. And it doesn’t help that I don’t really have internet at my host family’s house, but I have been saying it’s a good thing. You don’t realize how much time you waste dawdling on the internet.
Nonetheless, let me start with week one. After orientation, meeting my host family for the first time, the first few days of classes, I got right to exploring this town. I’m sure I forgot a lot of the details, and will neglect the reflection that came with visiting these sites, but I don’t want to bore you with some of the elaborate cultural mesh of Kyoto anyway.
The first weekend with my host family, my host mom took me to 3 temples that were about a 10 minute bicycle ride from our house: Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, and Ninnaoji.
Golden Pavillion:
Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavillion, is really made of gold. Architecturally speaking it’s quite a work of art: The bottom layer, in Heian style, has screen doors. The middle layer has Southern Chinese aspects, and the top layer has more slopes, which is expressive of the Kudara style (I spelled out the pronunciation of what the teacher said in Japanese Civ class). Originally built in the late 13th century Japan during the Kitayama epoch as a “monastic retreat” for the then military leader, Yoshimitsu. It was built to glorify Yoshimitsu’s power. But it was burned in 1950 and rebuilt. And because it has been built fairly recently, it has no sense of wear and tear.
Ryoanji:
Ryoanji is known for its infamous rock garden. About 15 rocks create a landscape that portrays the Japanese medieval aesthetic taste that emphasizes the beauty of the withered, lonely, cold, and desolate. During Japanese medieval times, there was an emphasis on the simple, and imperfect. Even nowadays it is common to see an asymmetrical rock accompanied by a small plant on the sides of people’s houses on the streets of Kyoto. Inside the temple, you can see dragons drawn on the screen doors.
Ninnaoji:
At the entrance to Ninnaoji you are greeted by demonic-looking deities. Once you pay the admission fee, you get to see some golden screen doors drawn with trees and mountains. There is also a peaceful garden with a small man-made waterfall, a small pond, and neatly lined white pebbles. You can also see a pagoda in the background. Lots of people sit in front of this picturesque scene and they can be seen sketching, writing, talking, or in deep thought. I really liked the pagoda and got up close to take a picture. Although, you are never allowed to enter the pagoda, rather it holds the remains of a highly respected, distinguished soul.
Mt. Daimonji:
A few days later I climbed Daimonji mountain. On Daimonji a big 大 (dai, which means big) is visible from miles away. It’s one of my favorite sites, and my favorite place to see it is by the big river that runs through Kyoto. Every time I pass this river, I am calmed, no matter how stressed I felt previously. From the top of this mountain, a beautiful view of Kyoto city can be seen. During the month of August, the big大 is set ablaze for the Obon festival to honor/ pay respect to relatives that have passed away. I wish I was in Kyoto for that!
Silver Pavillion:
The next weekend I went to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavillion with some peeps from the program. Architecturally speaking, the bottom is built as a more residential style and the top is zen style. It was built by Yoshimitsu’s grandson, Yoshimasa after the Onin wars (which left Kyoto in ruins). It was built during the Higashiyama epoch, and built for Yoshimasa as a retreat to escape the horrors of the weakening government. I enjoyed the cone shaped sand mound, which I am not sure of its significance. When I went to the Silver Pavillion it was under construction and it looked much worn (that made me a little happy because everything seems to be rebuilt so recently). The garden surrounding the temple was very soothing and there was a lot of moss and lichen. (I never really paid attention to moss, much less recognized a beauty within this humble plant). Although some of the moss was dried, some of it was a nice shade of green, lush and soft, and actually added to the soothing tone of the place, even though it was quite crowded with tourists. I actually bent down to touch the moss and was amazed at how soft it felt and wondered how nice it would be to lay down on top of it and take a nap. As I watched two big dragonflies chase each other, I felt at peace here.
Nonetheless, let me start with week one. After orientation, meeting my host family for the first time, the first few days of classes, I got right to exploring this town. I’m sure I forgot a lot of the details, and will neglect the reflection that came with visiting these sites, but I don’t want to bore you with some of the elaborate cultural mesh of Kyoto anyway.
The first weekend with my host family, my host mom took me to 3 temples that were about a 10 minute bicycle ride from our house: Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, and Ninnaoji.
Golden Pavillion:
Kinkakuji, or the Golden Pavillion, is really made of gold. Architecturally speaking it’s quite a work of art: The bottom layer, in Heian style, has screen doors. The middle layer has Southern Chinese aspects, and the top layer has more slopes, which is expressive of the Kudara style (I spelled out the pronunciation of what the teacher said in Japanese Civ class). Originally built in the late 13th century Japan during the Kitayama epoch as a “monastic retreat” for the then military leader, Yoshimitsu. It was built to glorify Yoshimitsu’s power. But it was burned in 1950 and rebuilt. And because it has been built fairly recently, it has no sense of wear and tear.
Ryoanji:
Ryoanji is known for its infamous rock garden. About 15 rocks create a landscape that portrays the Japanese medieval aesthetic taste that emphasizes the beauty of the withered, lonely, cold, and desolate. During Japanese medieval times, there was an emphasis on the simple, and imperfect. Even nowadays it is common to see an asymmetrical rock accompanied by a small plant on the sides of people’s houses on the streets of Kyoto. Inside the temple, you can see dragons drawn on the screen doors.
Ninnaoji:
At the entrance to Ninnaoji you are greeted by demonic-looking deities. Once you pay the admission fee, you get to see some golden screen doors drawn with trees and mountains. There is also a peaceful garden with a small man-made waterfall, a small pond, and neatly lined white pebbles. You can also see a pagoda in the background. Lots of people sit in front of this picturesque scene and they can be seen sketching, writing, talking, or in deep thought. I really liked the pagoda and got up close to take a picture. Although, you are never allowed to enter the pagoda, rather it holds the remains of a highly respected, distinguished soul.
Mt. Daimonji:
A few days later I climbed Daimonji mountain. On Daimonji a big 大 (dai, which means big) is visible from miles away. It’s one of my favorite sites, and my favorite place to see it is by the big river that runs through Kyoto. Every time I pass this river, I am calmed, no matter how stressed I felt previously. From the top of this mountain, a beautiful view of Kyoto city can be seen. During the month of August, the big大 is set ablaze for the Obon festival to honor/ pay respect to relatives that have passed away. I wish I was in Kyoto for that!
Silver Pavillion:
The next weekend I went to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavillion with some peeps from the program. Architecturally speaking, the bottom is built as a more residential style and the top is zen style. It was built by Yoshimitsu’s grandson, Yoshimasa after the Onin wars (which left Kyoto in ruins). It was built during the Higashiyama epoch, and built for Yoshimasa as a retreat to escape the horrors of the weakening government. I enjoyed the cone shaped sand mound, which I am not sure of its significance. When I went to the Silver Pavillion it was under construction and it looked much worn (that made me a little happy because everything seems to be rebuilt so recently). The garden surrounding the temple was very soothing and there was a lot of moss and lichen. (I never really paid attention to moss, much less recognized a beauty within this humble plant). Although some of the moss was dried, some of it was a nice shade of green, lush and soft, and actually added to the soothing tone of the place, even though it was quite crowded with tourists. I actually bent down to touch the moss and was amazed at how soft it felt and wondered how nice it would be to lay down on top of it and take a nap. As I watched two big dragonflies chase each other, I felt at peace here.
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