With nothing to report about our first day in Kyoto other than it was a long train ride in some shitty weather, I will leave it at that. After a terrible night’s sleep on the world’s hardest and shortest bed, we were off to our next selection of sites. The day’s agenda included Nanzenji, the Heian Shrine, the Yasaka Shrine and Sanjusangendo.
We walked through a humble countryside town until we encountered the first of the bunch, 
Nanzenji. Located at the foot of Kyoto’s eastern hills, the grounds are absolutely breathtaking.
It is widely considered as one of Japan’s most important Zen temples. Built originally as an imperial villa in 1264, its main building is famous for its daunting size and surrounding rock garden. Now it is the headquarters for the Rinzai School of Zen. There are a number of smaller temples in the hills and even a full functioning water aqueduct that can be found close to Nanzenji’s main buildings. Arriving at around eleven o’clock we walked up to the main temples and then proceeded through the foothills to the smaller ones.
Nanzenji. Located at the foot of Kyoto’s eastern hills, the grounds are absolutely breathtaking.It is widely considered as one of Japan’s most important Zen temples. Built originally as an imperial villa in 1264, its main building is famous for its daunting size and surrounding rock garden. Now it is the headquarters for the Rinzai School of Zen. There are a number of smaller temples in the hills and even a full functioning water aqueduct that can be found close to Nanzenji’s main buildings. Arriving at around eleven o’clock we walked up to the main temples and then proceeded through the foothills to the smaller ones.
There was an eerie mist coming from the forest and it rolled off the rooftops creating a mystical 
phenomenon…
phenomenon… You could just tell there was something about this place…
You could even feel it- as if it were tangible...
Once you set foot on the grounds, you sensed it, immediately.
I don’t know if it was because of the magnificent visuals the gardens provided or the massive temples or even the serene sounds of the passing water but there was certainly something else here, this was certainly an ancient presence.
I know very little about the way of Zen and the whole idea behind the philosophy. But hell, Phil Jackson used the school of thought as a way to unite Kobe and Shaq for three championships. I had certainly never witnessed anything like this before...
Truly there is no other place on earth like this.
The Heian Shrine had an unusual color scheme to it, as my mom accurately pointed out. We 
entered the shrine through a massive red-orange Torii that was accented with gold. Most of the shrines and temples were more of a dull darker color as you can see from the pictures, but this one was distinctly different. The red-orange color of main part of the structure seemed more like Communist China red to me but was still pretty authentic Japanese nonetheless. There is a ritual that takes place here that is loosely translates to “Adult Day” where teenagers literally and symbolically cross a bridge into adulthood.
entered the shrine through a massive red-orange Torii that was accented with gold. Most of the shrines and temples were more of a dull darker color as you can see from the pictures, but this one was distinctly different. The red-orange color of main part of the structure seemed more like Communist China red to me but was still pretty authentic Japanese nonetheless. There is a ritual that takes place here that is loosely translates to “Adult Day” where teenagers literally and symbolically cross a bridge into adulthood.Yasaka Shrine was another location that intrigued me. It resembled just about every other shrine that we had visited aside form the fact that it was set 
right in the steepest hills of Kyoto. It is famous throughout the country for being the home of one of Japan’s largest cherry blossom festivals in the spring. Up the massive set of stairs sat the main temple, which like most was very imposing and surrounded by large stone lanterns, gardens and other subtemples. I decided to take the road less traveled, far behind the last temple, up a set of stairs to what turned out to be a graveyard. I climbed up to the highest point that provided a stunning view of the temples and the main city.
right in the steepest hills of Kyoto. It is famous throughout the country for being the home of one of Japan’s largest cherry blossom festivals in the spring. Up the massive set of stairs sat the main temple, which like most was very imposing and surrounded by large stone lanterns, gardens and other subtemples. I decided to take the road less traveled, far behind the last temple, up a set of stairs to what turned out to be a graveyard. I climbed up to the highest point that provided a stunning view of the temples and the main city.The last location of the day, Sanjusangendo, was kind of a big deal. It was home to over a thousand national treasures, most o
f them made out of gold, including a large Buddha. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the temple but I managed to sneak a few anyway. So if my plane goes down on the way home, it is due to bad karma and thousands of generations of angry monks acting their revenge for the picture. The statues you can see in the background behind the God of Thunder are of the goddess of Mercy, Kannon. Each was about six feet tall and gold, there were over 1000 of them. The main temple that housed the golden statues at Sanjusangendo is Japan’s largest wooden structure, spanning over 100 meters.
f them made out of gold, including a large Buddha. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the temple but I managed to sneak a few anyway. So if my plane goes down on the way home, it is due to bad karma and thousands of generations of angry monks acting their revenge for the picture. The statues you can see in the background behind the God of Thunder are of the goddess of Mercy, Kannon. Each was about six feet tall and gold, there were over 1000 of them. The main temple that housed the golden statues at Sanjusangendo is Japan’s largest wooden structure, spanning over 100 meters.Trekking our way back to the subway station after we had spent sufficient time looking at the various statues in Sanjusangendo, we crossed over a bridge that provided a view that would take anybody back to feeling as if they were in the “old country.”
All three of us were pretty tired from all the hiking and walking so when we got back to the hotel we just chilled until we indulged in a fancy dinner at the hotels main restaurant. Four different locations across the span of only a few hours with lots of distance between certainly had taken its toll. It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, when we traditionally open our presents from the family. Unfortunately it’s a bit of a anticlimactic celebration this year as my trip to the far east not only accounted for all my Christmas presents but graduation as well. So far it has been well worth it and I still have more than two weeks left.
All three of us were pretty tired from all the hiking and walking so when we got back to the hotel we just chilled until we indulged in a fancy dinner at the hotels main restaurant. Four different locations across the span of only a few hours with lots of distance between certainly had taken its toll. It’s Christmas Eve tomorrow, when we traditionally open our presents from the family. Unfortunately it’s a bit of a anticlimactic celebration this year as my trip to the far east not only accounted for all my Christmas presents but graduation as well. So far it has been well worth it and I still have more than two weeks left.More coming from Kyoto tomorrow,
GB
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