Japan trip report, day 9
September 4, 2007
Today has been a day of temple-hopping. Our first stop was Higashi Hongan-ji, as it's just a few blocks from our ryokan. A few blocks away from there was the temple to which Higashi was built as a rival, Nishi Hongan-ji. They are both beautiful, tranquil spots in the middle of a busy area of the city.
Next stop -- post office. Though we were mightily confused at first, we did manage to buy postcard stamps and change our travellers' cheques for cash. Good thing for employees who spoke some English, 'cause we never would have figured it out ourselves!
On our way to the bus ticket office, we saw our fist hot food vending machine. We bought fries. Yes, they came out quite hot, and they were sealed in a box with a packet of salt. Wacky! There were other possible choices, but those all had meat.
Anyway, we bought day passes for the tourist-friendly bus line and headed toward Kiyomizudera, the Pure Water Temple. We got off the buss and walked up the hill lined with all kinds of tourist shops, ceramics shops, snack shops, fan shops, and the like, climbed a lot of stairs, and entered the grounds.
We ended up spending a fair bit of time there -- so much to see! We rang a prayer bell; descended into a pitch-dark room, guided only by a large string of beads, toward a special engraved stone that we each turned once; bought charms; washed our hands ritually several times (the cool water felt so good); peered at the various sanctuaries; admired the view of mountains and city; and visited the Jinju-jisha shrine. The shrine has, among several other aspects, two stones about 30-40 feet apart. One is supposed to close one's eyes and walk from stone to stone wile repeating the name of one's beloved. If one reaches the stone and touches it, the relationship is well-favored; if one misses the stone, the relationship is doomed. Trowa tried it and succeeded. Guess we're stuck with each other! :)
Mindful of the time, but also getting overwhelmed by the appalling heat and humidity (it was over 90F and humid as hell), we stopped at a sweet shop for soft-serve ice cream and shaved ice. A man handed out cups of cold green tea to all who entered -- nice! We bought a white peach ice cream cone and a bowl of shaved ice with yuzu syrup. Both were astoundingly tasty and refreshing. Really, it was too hot to eat anything else! Thus refreshed, we bought a few more items nearby and went back down the hill to catch the bus to Nanzen-ji.
The grounds at Nanzen-ji are extensive. We didn't see as much as we could have, because it was so beastly hot and Trowa was beginning to get a bit templed out. But we did climb the Sanmon (main gate) to see the view, walk along the red brick aqueduct, and stroll through a small, but lovely garden called Nanzen-in.
With the closing of the park, we went to find a restaurant nearby which had been written up in Frommer's. With some help from locals, we did find it, but it was closed. D'oh! So we ate at one a few doors down which was probably similar, Kogetsuso. We ordered a yudofu course and a tempura course. We were served by a pretty, middle-aged woman in a kimono, and between the two dishes there was enough vegetarian food to feed me happily and enough fish/shrimp to make Trowa happy. It was a classy and delicious meal. Yum!
By the time we had finished dinner, it had cooled down quite a bit, so we walked for a little while to find a suitable bus stop. We found a bus that dropped us near our neighborhood, stopping along the walk from there to buy a mailing tube and some calligraphy markers and paper for Trowa's mom, not to mention some more cold drinks and ice cream, and returned to Ikoi-no-Ie.
I showered and hand-washed a few items of clothing, and then we both took a turn on the computer in the lobby area. Since then I've been catching up on my journal writing. We practiced a bit of Japanese with our CDs, too.
Tomorrow we'll probably take a day trip to Osaka and/or Nara. Maybe we'll find a love hotel and check in for an hour or two. :) But now -- sleeping.
Today has been a day of temple-hopping. Our first stop was Higashi Hongan-ji, as it's just a few blocks from our ryokan. A few blocks away from there was the temple to which Higashi was built as a rival, Nishi Hongan-ji. They are both beautiful, tranquil spots in the middle of a busy area of the city.
Next stop -- post office. Though we were mightily confused at first, we did manage to buy postcard stamps and change our travellers' cheques for cash. Good thing for employees who spoke some English, 'cause we never would have figured it out ourselves!
On our way to the bus ticket office, we saw our fist hot food vending machine. We bought fries. Yes, they came out quite hot, and they were sealed in a box with a packet of salt. Wacky! There were other possible choices, but those all had meat.
Anyway, we bought day passes for the tourist-friendly bus line and headed toward Kiyomizudera, the Pure Water Temple. We got off the buss and walked up the hill lined with all kinds of tourist shops, ceramics shops, snack shops, fan shops, and the like, climbed a lot of stairs, and entered the grounds.
We ended up spending a fair bit of time there -- so much to see! We rang a prayer bell; descended into a pitch-dark room, guided only by a large string of beads, toward a special engraved stone that we each turned once; bought charms; washed our hands ritually several times (the cool water felt so good); peered at the various sanctuaries; admired the view of mountains and city; and visited the Jinju-jisha shrine. The shrine has, among several other aspects, two stones about 30-40 feet apart. One is supposed to close one's eyes and walk from stone to stone wile repeating the name of one's beloved. If one reaches the stone and touches it, the relationship is well-favored; if one misses the stone, the relationship is doomed. Trowa tried it and succeeded. Guess we're stuck with each other! :)
Mindful of the time, but also getting overwhelmed by the appalling heat and humidity (it was over 90F and humid as hell), we stopped at a sweet shop for soft-serve ice cream and shaved ice. A man handed out cups of cold green tea to all who entered -- nice! We bought a white peach ice cream cone and a bowl of shaved ice with yuzu syrup. Both were astoundingly tasty and refreshing. Really, it was too hot to eat anything else! Thus refreshed, we bought a few more items nearby and went back down the hill to catch the bus to Nanzen-ji.
The grounds at Nanzen-ji are extensive. We didn't see as much as we could have, because it was so beastly hot and Trowa was beginning to get a bit templed out. But we did climb the Sanmon (main gate) to see the view, walk along the red brick aqueduct, and stroll through a small, but lovely garden called Nanzen-in.
With the closing of the park, we went to find a restaurant nearby which had been written up in Frommer's. With some help from locals, we did find it, but it was closed. D'oh! So we ate at one a few doors down which was probably similar, Kogetsuso. We ordered a yudofu course and a tempura course. We were served by a pretty, middle-aged woman in a kimono, and between the two dishes there was enough vegetarian food to feed me happily and enough fish/shrimp to make Trowa happy. It was a classy and delicious meal. Yum!
By the time we had finished dinner, it had cooled down quite a bit, so we walked for a little while to find a suitable bus stop. We found a bus that dropped us near our neighborhood, stopping along the walk from there to buy a mailing tube and some calligraphy markers and paper for Trowa's mom, not to mention some more cold drinks and ice cream, and returned to Ikoi-no-Ie.
I showered and hand-washed a few items of clothing, and then we both took a turn on the computer in the lobby area. Since then I've been catching up on my journal writing. We practiced a bit of Japanese with our CDs, too.
Tomorrow we'll probably take a day trip to Osaka and/or Nara. Maybe we'll find a love hotel and check in for an hour or two. :) But now -- sleeping.