Kyoto, Japan--Temples and Gardens, Zen Meditation, and a Bamboo Forest
We visited the Golden Pavilion, walked the garden paths of Tenryu-ji Temple, had a private Zen meditation session, and strolled the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. A vegetarian banquet capped our visit.
We spent the day in Kyoto on the second day of the three-day, two-night overland to Japan’s Ancient Capitals.
From our itinerary: Following breakfast at The Thousand Kyoto, you will travel to the Golden Pavilion, also known as Kinkaku-ji Temple. Originally built as a three-story home in 1397, the pavilion follows the Shinden style by being positioned on the edge of a tranquil pond. While viewing the pavilion’s exterior, you will notice that the second and third stories are covered in shimmering gold leaf. Another highlight is the temple’s mirror reflection in the glassy pond.
Today’s tour exceeded our expectations. The walk around the lake, with multiple views of the Golden Pavilion, could not have been more enjoyable—unless, perhaps, the sun had been shining. Nonetheless, the views were stunning, and the gardens were resplendent with iris and the bright greens of springtime.
We were visiting Kyoto during “school groups’ tour time” and so many groups of middle- and high-schoolers were enjoying the pavilion and garden. The kids seemed to especially enjoy throwing coins into the well next to the stone figures.
We walked to a promontory across the lake from the temple and the top of the pavilion appeared to be floating in the treetops.
The winding paths through woodlands and along the lake were incredibly picturesque—it was hard to resist stopping every few steps to take “just one more photo!” Of course, Sherpa knows what I mean when I utter that phrase and is quite patient with my photo obsession. It’s not as bad as it sounds; we have limited time to pause for photos since we are usually part of a group of around thirty, so I shoot on the fly. I’d prefer to take more time and capture more precise photos, but this is neither the time nor the place to do so.
Here’s a rare photo of Bo, thanks to Sherpa’s auxiliary camera work. (Two people taking different perspectives is always better than a solo documenter!) Trish and I are waiting in line to get Goshuin stamps for our books.
Our guide, Miyoko, or Mimi-san, was impressively organized. She created visual guides every day that helped us learn more about the places we would be visiting. She even provided us with handouts containing useful Japanese phrases, including phonetic keys, so we could practice our “hellos” and “thank yous” in Japanese. Some of us were better at grasping the not-so-simple pronunciations than others. I apparently have zero aptitude for languages and relied on lots of smiles and body language for the basics. Google Translate came in handy when a conversation required obtaining real information.
From our itinerary: You will visit the garden of Tenryu-ji Temple, an esteemed World Heritage Site. Built in 1339, Tenryu-ji is famous for its Japanese landscape garden. A triumph of design, the garden features a central pond that beautifully reflects the surrounding maple trees and the forested Arashiyama Mountains.
From our itinerary: You will experience a private Zen meditation session exclusively for our group.
Monk Thomas, originally from Connecticut, USA, came to Japan in the 1970s to seek knowledge about Zen Buddhism and never fully returned. He guides groups visiting Tenryu-ji Temple in Buddhist principles and meditation. He spent the afternoon with our group, first teaching us the principles of meditation and then leading us in a silent sitting meditation.
From the itinerary: You will then walk to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Many consider strolling the winding paths with sunlight filtering down through towering bamboo a healing experience. A vegetarian banquet follows.
After our meditation session, Thomas took us on an informative tour of the gardens, then for a walk through the bamboo forest, and finally he dined with us, helping us negotiate the contents of our bento boxes and other dishes.
The new bamboo shoots are the darker ones; a young bamboo can grow up to 40 inches in one day, so some of these younger shoots are only a few days old!
After finishing our time at Tenryu-ji Temple and Gardens, we enjoyed a spectacular vegetarian luncheon prepared at the restaurant on the grounds. Then, we loaded back into our coach and drove about an hour to Kiyomizu-dera, the Buddhist Temple located in the mountains overlooking Kyoto.
Next post: Kiyomizu-dera, a Kyoto craft brewery gem, and more.
Absolutely idyllic! Beautiful and serene, I would have also been taking photos at every moment! These are so lovely!
I love the reflections!