Torii Gate on the way to ARI farm shop

Torii Gate on the way to ARI farm shop

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Kyoto - August 4th


The first day in Kyoto, we headed south to the Fushimi-Inari shrine, the shrine of a Thousand Torii gates. They are so close together that they form a tunnel up the hill side from shrine to temple to shrine.


The Higashi-Honganji Temple was the next stop , only a few blocks from Kyoto Styation. To say it was large just does not do it justice. The main hall of the Higashi-Honganji Temple is one ofthe largest in Japan.
The Kiyomizu-Derai Temple is spectacular. Set high on the hills in the eastern part of Kyoto, it has a massive central hall with a veranda that hangs off the hillside and it was constructed without a single nail.

Underneath one of the temple buildings is a pitch dark space where you can follow a chain of woodern monk's beads strung on a cord around narrow passage ways and corners. It is close to going to the spiritual womb. And quite scary. 

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