Kyoto Temple Pilgrimage - Temple of the Thousand Buddhas, Bamboo Forest, Zen Temple, Golden Temple, and Shinto Shrine.

                                                        

We were in Kyoto from about May 22nd to the 25th.

After Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the tour bus went directly to Sanjusangen-do, another temple made of wood. The temple was built in 1164 for the Kannon Bodhisattva. Its special feature is the display of a thousand standing statues divided into 33 sections. It's said to be arranged that way because the Bodhisattva takes on 33 forms to save people. This temple caught fire and was rebuilt in 1249. Now, there are 1032 statues.

Almost all of these statues are different from each other; Ines actually observed that. Taking pictures there is prohibited, so the one included is from a souvenir book. Another interesting thing is the statues of characters from Jataka tales. Sakra, Varuna (the thunder god), Vasu, Maha Brahma, Virudhaka, Virupaksha (the set of four guardian kings), Kinnara, Garuda, and Asura are all there.

We saw some Chinese and Taiwanese tourists, as well as Japanese, worshiping those statues. A teacher was there with adolescent school children. They were also asking for details and worshiping in line, just like our school days.

The garden of this temple is very beautiful. The picture I posted above looks like a real Japanese garden, just like the ones we used to see in books back in the day. Down below, there are some tombs of monks. This place feels both serene and majestic.  Even though this temple also has many statues, perhaps because it's large and beautiful, it has a very calm and tranquil atmosphere.

After that, we went for a buffet lunch. I didn't take any photos there because we only had about twenty-five minutes to eat. The food was absolutely fantastic, though, with a really wide selection.: Korean style fried chicken, fried fish, sushi and they even had German cheesecake in small pieces, with mocha.

While we were there, I met a British Indian guy with roots in Tamil Nadu. Turns out, he's from Barnet, which is the town right next to ours in Enfield! What's even crazier is that he works for a company that makes legal software, and it's actually one of our rivals. He basically does the same type of job as me. It was a surprising coincidence!

After lunch, we headed to an even more beautiful temple, Tenryu-ji, located in Arashiyama. It's a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple that was founded in 1339. This temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is part of Japan's "Five Mountains and Ten Monasteries" system. This name came about because these temples were supported by the Ashikaga shogunate during that period.

The picture I've uploaded to my Facebook profile is from there. The temple is situated within a large bamboo forest, known as the Sagano Bamboo Forest. It reminded me of that scene from the Chinese film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Bamboo Forest Final Fight. This forest is entirely natural, which is incredible.

Apparently, the roof of the temple and the distant mountain peaks are designed to align perfectly, though I couldn't quite capture that in a photo myself. The entire area is incredibly scenic. It would be even more beautiful if there were fewer people.

Japanese families, dressed in kimonos and traditional attire, are sitting in the large hall. They're chatting very casually while drinking tea.

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From there, we went to see the Golden Temple, officially called Kinkaku-ji. It looks incredibly beautiful because of the small lake outside. The roof's peak and the first and second floors are covered with 0.5 µm gold leaf. Because of this, you're not allowed to go inside.

This is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site belonging to Zen Buddhism. The palace, which belonged to the nobleman Saionji, caught the eye of the third Ashikaga Shogun, Yoshimitsu, a samurai general. He acquired it to turn it into a palace. It's said that the "Kitayama" culture (integrated with Chinese influences) began here.

Legend has it that the lowest, third section of the temple doesn't have gold because it was where the noblemen were allowed to sit. The Shogun apparently disliked the noblemen and did this to mock them. However, it's also said that he was killed by the noblemen because of this.

To wrap up this post, I wanted to include our visit to the Shinto Fushimi Inari Shrine, especially since I have two more articles to write about Kyoto! Shinto temples often have beautiful paths designed for walking. Along these paths, you'll find posts for lighting candles or lamps, which must look stunning at night.

Next, you'll notice that the gates of every temple are painted red. This color symbolizes vitality and is believed to ward off evil. Inside the temple, there are special paths with wooden arches called Torii gates. If you follow this path upwards, you can reach Mount Inari. Inari is the deity of rice, making this a very important shrine. You'll find many statues of wolves and foxes here, as it's believed that the gods send messages through them.

The Torii gates serve as a reminder of deceased relatives and close friends; you're meant to walk through them in their memory. If you have the means, you can even contribute a gate in honor of your parents or other departed loved ones.

The entire Kyoto region is overflowing with natural beauty, though it does attract a lot of tourists. To truly appreciate places like this, you should visit on days with fewer tourists. This way, you can fully absorb the tranquility of the area, meditate by the lake, calm your mind, and enjoy a peaceful stroll.

One more thing to note is that Japanese people often visit these temples dressed in traditional attire. Men wear Montsuki and Yukata, while women wear Kimono and Yukata.

Japanese girls with Kimono.

 

Shinkansen train journey from Tokyo to Kyoto

 

.  Ajith Dharma 23/06/2025

 

Kyoto temple trips - Kiyomizu - dera or The pure water monastery

First Blog Post: On the way to Japan Tokyo -Day 1

Second  Blog Post : On the way to Japan - visiting Fuji-san 

Third Blog Post: Tour to Mount Hakone and Ashi Lake

Fourth Blog Post: Tokyo Skytree and Model train shop 

Fifth Blog Post: Food in Japan and Kyoto grandmother's small cafe 

In the original blog post, I have written that Shintoism and Mahayana Buddhism are practiced equally in Japan. When I was writing about the concept of death formyt blog, I was also very much taken with Tibetan Buddhism. I even saw a Tibetan temple like that in Tokyo. I believe the reason Japan, unlike South Korea, which has a Buddhist majority, hasn't embraced Christianity is the blending of Mahayana Buddhist customs and Shinto rituals.

In Shintoism, there are celebrations of joyful things like birthdays, and in Mahayana temples, there's a method for atonement (similar to Christian religions). Sins written on wooden tablets are later burned by monks while chanting pirith (Buddhist blessings). It's said that this removes the sins. Similarly, there are prayer flags and strips of cloth, like the wooden tablets, hung with various wishes.

We were told to come to Kyoto Station exactly at 8:00 AM. The bus departed exactly at 8:30 AM. The first temple we went to see was Kiyomizu-dera. Every temple is so picturesque that it's hard to decide which photos to publish. Along the way, there was a tea stall. This was built to worship the Bodhisattva Kannon. I think the worship of Bodhisattvas is another reason why Japanese people don't convert to other religions. You can tell Bodhisattvas, who are destined to become Buddhas in the future, things you wouldn't say or ask of the Buddha himself.

This is our tour guide showing a picture of the Bodhisattva.

The temple is located halfway up Mount Otowa, amidst the picturesque Higashiyama mountain range in Kyoto. It was originally heard of (founded) in 778 AD during the Nara period. Shogun Sakanoue (a figure like a general who ruled on behalf of the Emperor of Japan) built the main hall. Many of the later buildings were completed around 1633. Look closely at those pictures; the large hall is built entirely of wood, without a single nail. It hasn't fallen down even in any earthquake. You can see the wooden joints behind where I'm standing. Pure water is said to flow from the waterfall inside. 'Kiyomizu' means pure water. We both drank it, and nothing has happened yet.

This place rents Kimonos.

Some pictures of the shops in the road leading to the temple.

I am as a  non-religious person drinking holy water may surprise some.

This temple has an inverted bell, and it's said to be good luck if you strike it. So, I also gave it a strike with both hands joined.

There is an anecdote about Niels Bohr that the philosopher Slavoj Zizek claims to have read in a biography of Bohr. He doesn't specify the author or the biography.

The anecdote goes as follows: Bohr used to keep a horseshoe on the door of his house. In European (and Indian) superstitions, the horseshoe is believed to be an object that guards the house against the evil spirits. A friend, upon seeing the horseshoe on the door of Bohr's house, asked Bohr as to whether he subscribed to the relevant superstitions. Bohr replied that he didn't believe in them but he was told that the horseshoe works whether or not one believes in their power.

The day before, I went to a Gundam base. This is a satellite one; the main one is in Tokyo. You'll understand when you see the photos. It's in the Aeon shopping mall. I saw a lot of Japanese people using small fans. It wasn't so hot that I really noticed.

18/06/2025 - Ajith