Kyoto

We were much more efficient in finding our bus platform this morning, and just as well, for seconds after we joined the queue a couple of large rowdy school groups appeared to tag on behind us. We managed to get a seat and could observe the packed mass in the aisle with some complacency. Cultural site visiting seems to be a major part of the Japanese school curriculum. As we walked up the narrow roadway towards Kiyomizu-dera, we walked past charter bus after charter bus, each full of school kids. The road is lined solid each side with little shops selling food, souvenirs, pottery and even one with ninja star knives. The school kids were streaming in and out of the shops, no doubt exploring the educational value of shopping. The atmosphere reminded me more of the show bag hall at Melbourne show, rather than the entrance to a religious site. Everybody seemed in high good humour.

The closer to the entrance to the temple we got the more packed it became, so we turned off down a lovely street that runs along the side of the valley, with numerous temples and shrines as well as interesting little shops and lovely old buildings lining the sides, almost no cars, and relatively fewer other pedestrians competing for space. It is called, I think, the Ninen-zaka path, and is one of the nicest bits of Kyoto I've seen. We walked past the impressive Yasaka-no-To pagoda, last rebuilt in 1440, and said to contain some relics of the Buddha. We passed a group of about 20 of the smallest children we've ever seen, walking along each holding a rope looped between a carer at each end.

 

There are lots of shrines and temples to visit. We patted the ox statue, that is supposed to take on your ills if you pat it in the matching place. Sore leg?  Pat ox's leg. We spun the Mani  prayer wheels, walked around the Temmangu shrine, patted the statue of Hotie, and left coins in front of the Jesu statues, all of which actions are said to earn merit and good fortune. A bit touristy maybe, but we seem to be going ok, so something is working. We had lunch in sight of the enormous entrance to the Choin-in temple, then walked on up the road a bit before we were enchanted by the sight of a number of huge camphor trees, massive things that must be ancient to have grown so large. They stand outside the entrance to Shoren-in Temple, which we visited.  A very peaceful and beautiful place, with wide verandas, long well worn wooden corridors, and surrounded by a delightful "strolling garden." There were only about twenty other people visiting at the time we were there.

There is a bus stop right outside the temple, so we decided to call it quits for the day, and we managed to navigate our way back to the hotel where we laid low for a couple of hours before heading out for dinner. A better day today - finding quieter less popular places seems to work for us. Tomorrow we aim  to visit the National museum and Sanjusangen-do temple, and maybe a shuffle through Gion, then get organized for our trip to Koyasan.