Holiday in Japan (9): Kyoto
We spent the whole of Monday in Kyoto. The city is most famous for its fabulous temples and, in the morning, we visited two of them.
On my visit to Kyoto in 1998, I saw four temples: Kiyomizu Temple, Sanjusangendo Temple, Nijo Castle and Nanzen-ji Temple. Today we went to a new location for me, the Kinkaku-ji Temple, and then a return location for me, the Kiyomizu Temple.
The Kinkaku-ji Temple is essentially one building – but what a building. The place is commonly known as the ‘Temple of the Golden Pavilion’ and is set by a lake surrounded by beautiful vegetation. The temple is nicknamed after the shrine whose top two floors are coated in 0.5 μm gold leaf.
The current pavilion was rebuilt in 1955 after being destroyed in an arson attack. It is a replica of a 15th century building and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Kiyomizu Temple covers a much larger area with many more buildings and I was thrilled to see it again. It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means ‘pure water’.
The temple was founded in 788, so that it predates Kyoto, Many of the temple’s present buildings were constructed in 1633 on the orders of the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. There is not a single nail used in the entire structure. It is another World Heritage Site.
In the afternoon, we visited two very different venues, different from this morning’s locations and different from each other.
First was the site of a giant seated Buddha where we attended a Zen tea ceremony. It has to be said that matcha green tea is an acquired taste which I doubt I would ever acquire.
Then we went to the Kyoto Railway Museum which was opened in 2016, covers three floors, and has a total of 54 retired trains. Not my thing but each to his own.
The official tour was over for the day, but our guides offered to show us Kyoto Station located close to our hotel. This turned out to be a head-spinning, jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, awe-inspiring experience.
The current station was designed by architect Hiroshi Hara and it opened in 1997 which commemorated Kyoto’s 1,200th anniversary. Architecturally, it exhibits many characteristics of futurism and the main hall,with an exposed steel-beamed roof, is called The Matrix.
The place is gargantuan, with a dazzling displays of lights and advertisements and a huge number of retail outlets and eating establishments. Jenny & I had dinner here – Chinese for a change.