Wednesday June 7, 2009
Kyoto, Japan
IBM Holiday
Glorious Summer Day
Today is the day IBM Japan was established so it is a holiday only for us IBM-ers in Japan. I decided to take advantage of the midweek holiday and do a day trip to Kyoto as no one else was on holiday so I knew it would not be crowded with tourists.
Nozomi 7: The bullet train I took to Kyoto
Its hydrangea season in Japan and I heard from friends that Kyoto has a temple that has the most splendid hydrangea garden. It’s off the beaten track but I’ve been told I will like it. Like it?? I LOVED IT! It is called Sanzenin temple in Ohara and is about a one-hour bus ride from Kyoto station. I got there by taking the 7am or so Shinkansen to Kyoto, arrived in Kyoto around 940 am and took the 950am bus to Ohara. Kyoto has been described as a magical place by many but frankly speaking, I’ve always liked it, enjoyed it and if I will permanently live in Japan, Kyoto will be the city I will choose. But I never found it to be magical like Bhutan or say Patagonia. But after going to Sanzenin, I changed my mind. Sanzenin was magical. Its tucked away in a sleepy town called Ohara where you can hear the flutter of butterflies - yes, in Japan! The town of Ohara is nestled in the mountains and dotted with farms, streams and shiso (perilla) gardens. No buzzing cars with very few people walking around. Its one of the few places in Japan where I finally felt I could breath with the tension in my shoulders just melt away.
The bus stop at Kyoto Station: To get to Ohara, you have to go to this bus stop.
OK, there was one English sign in Ohara. This one was at the bus station.
Sanzenin Temple is about a 15-minute walk from the bus station. Unlike touristy Kyoto there are no English signs so it can be difficult for foreigners to get to it. (The bus ride starts with announcements in English but when we leave the city of Kyoto all that stops so you either have to listen to the driver carefully about the next stop or be able to read the Japanese). Anyhow, given I speak Japanese; I was able to find the very soothing and quiet path to the temple. And for the first time in Kyoto, I was the ONLY gaijin in the whole town!
The path to Sanzenin is dotted with Shiso (Perilla) gardens.
The path to Sanzenin: You walk by a stream and its oh so quite.
The town of Ohara is known as the home of Tendai Shomyo ( the way of Buddhist hymnal chanting) and its followers have made pilgrimages to the town for 1000s of years. They end up at Sanzenin Temple which is one of 5 Tendai temples. They are a special kind of temple where the chief priest was always a member of the imperial family. It was established in 700s and its principal figure is the Buddha of Healing which unfortunately is not available at all times for viewing.
The path to the temple is lined with cute souvenir shops selling local vegetables and specialties.
The entrance to the temple.
I was not allowed to take photos inside the temple but took a lot of photos of the grounds as it was gorgeous.
Sanzenin gets popular in the fall because of the momiji (Japanese maple) trees that surround the temple grounds.
This is where the Buddha of Healing resides but no photos were allowed inside.
I loved the stone lanterns and the stone statues peaking from the moss covered ground.
I’m not sure if its because of the Buddha of Healing, but it is a magical place which made me feel light, clear and wanting to linger for a long, long time. There was a bit of distraction as there were a bunch of school kids on a trip but it did not spoil my visit. So I lingered and cleared the clutter in my mind. Then just when I started dozing I remembered my goal of finding the perfect, flawless hydrangea, as the temple is famous for its hydrangea garden. But then I remembered what Kunzang- my devout Buddhist guide in Bhutan – told me, as I am a type A personality and that there is no beauty in being flawless. So off I went to the hydrangea garden, abandoning my original mission and instead enjoyed the beauty of every hydrangea in the garden.
The gorgeous hydrangeas from the garden. There are over 1000s hydrangea plants in the garden.
They were so pretty and protected from the direct sunlight by the momiji trees.
There are many different types of hydrangeas in the garden. I've never seen the one below before.
The butterflies were the size of a hummingbird!
Because the temple is in the mountains, the garden is surrounded with streams.
Beautiful bridge in the garden.
The garden is also dotted with little jizo statues
I tried to get a pic of the bee next to hydrangea.
The main building surrounded by maple trees.
I was told the flower on the wall is also a type of hydrangea.
The school children from Osaka on a field trip. The girls were dressed in a traditional Ohara outfit. They were a bit annoying but did not ruin my experience.
For lunch, I went to the ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) right next to the temple. And of course, it was surrounded by hydrangeas but they were not in full bloom.
They ryokan makes their own tofu so the menu was vegetarian and based on their tofu. Below is the yuba (tofu skin) dish served with a ponzu sauce.
The dish below is Yu no Hana appetizer, a local veggie appetizer
A dish of Mozoku (seaweed), yuba, mountain vegetable, fried ayu - a local fish and mountain plum.
Homemade ganmodoki - a tofu dumpling
Yuba Dango- Yuba fried dumpling. Very Very good!
Dark miso with Yuba
Takenoko Gohan: Rice with bamboo shoots
View of the restaurant from the grounds of the ryokan. The food was delicious. They offered me the use of the onsen (hot spring bath) but I declined. I would definitely consider staying here though.
While enroute to my next destination, I noticed the statues of girls dressed in Ohara's traditional costume. Traditionally, the women of Ohara carried vegetables and wood stacked on their head. Didn't see any of them doing that now!
I could have stayed there forever! But the bus driver from Kyoto Station to Ohara made me promise I will also visit the Jakkoin Temple. The temple is a convent of the Tendai sect of Buddhism and was founded in the mid 500s by Prince Shotoku. Unfortunately it was damaged in a fire in 2000 and much of it has been rebuilt. The most important figure in the temple is the Jizo bodhisattva, which is also a national cultural asset that has been damaged during the fire so one can only see the replica. But for some reason, one is also not allowed to take a photo of the replica! The first head priestess of the temple was Tamateru-hime, who was Prince Shotoku’s wet nurse and one of the first three nuns in the history of Japanese Buddhism. Since her time, the Jakkoin temple has chosen nuns from noble families as head priestess.
The Jakkoin Temple is about a 20-minute walk in the opposite direction from the bus station to Sanzenin Temple. Again, no signs in English and this walk can be confusing. But what a walk! So quaint. You actually walk through the village. I passed through rice paddies, shiso gardens with no cars in sight. Very quiet. Once in awhile I met a villager which was a relief as I needed to ask for directions.
The view from the path to Jakkoin.
There was a tea house where you can enjoy tea while soaking your feet in a foot onsen. I wanted to do it but couldn't fine anyone to help me in the store! It was wide open with beautiful pottery and was told by a neighbor that the proprietor went shopping and since there is no crime in Ohara its safe to leave the store wide open...
The temple was definitely worth visiting albeit small. So beautiful. I really wanted to meet one of the nuns or priestess but was told they were “out”. Again I lingered and lingered until I got too hot. Fortunately, one of the caretakers invited me for some cold tea. After having some tea, I reluctantly made my way back to the bus station.
The stairs to the entrance of the temple. Its surrounded with Momiji (Japanese maple trees)
The Jakkoin which was rebuilt after the fire in 2000.
The grounds were gorgeous and tranquil
The hydrangeas were not in full bloom but beautiful
I would love to get one of these for my patio in Malibu.
There is a famous story called the Tale of Heike in Japan. The last Heike princess , after the defeat of Heike dynasty, spent the rest of her life here and prayed for the souls of her lost family beside this pine tree. The tree is over 1000 years old. It gives me goose bumps thinking that I am actually looking at the same tree which gave her comfort.
My next planned stop was Nanzenji Zen Temple in the heart of Kyoto but I was debating whether to go or not as Ohara was a very special place for me and I was just tired emotionally and physically from the visit. But since the bus made its way by the temple, I figured why not with the idea that if it was packed with tourists, I will just head back. Well, it was pleasantly quiet. But HUGE! Its one of my favorite temples in Kyoto.
My first stop was the Tenju-An temple in the compound. The garden was splendid and I had it all to myself.
Kyoto is famous for the Zen stone gardens. Its so hard to take a good photo of it but here is a close up.
View of Nanzenji from the Tenju-An
Nanzenji Temple is the head temple of the Rinzaishu-Nanzenji school, one of the Zen sects. Therefore, it’s a very important Buddhist temple in Japan. It’s not on the top 10 list of things to do in Kyoto but after my visit, I believe it should be. Now, when I went there were very few people so I was able to enjoy the gardens and the temple with very little distraction. It was late in the day (4pm or so) and the whole experience was quite spiritual as you could hear the monks chanting while walking through the gardens and the temple. Not sure I would have felt the same way with busloads of tourists. Anyhow, it is set in a beautiful location and for devout Buddhist or students of Zen it’s a must visit.
The entrance to Nanzenji
Before entering the Nanzenji, I took a detour and went to Nanzenji Oku-no-in. Its a small shrine temple located by the aqueduct which is a site in itself. Below is the aqueduct that is still operational.
The gardens of Oku-no-in.
After the visit, I went to verify if the aqueduct was really operational and found out that it was indeed working.
Then it was time to visit the Nanzenji. I was not allowed to take photos of the beautiful sliding doors but could take photos of the famous stone gardens.
Not sure what this building is for as the entrance was blocked but it was very pretty.
After dinner at my favorite noodle place Omen near Gingakuji and the Philosophers Path, it was time to go back home to Tokyo. I always get a bit depressed when I leave Kyoto. I feel more at home in Kyoto than in Tokyo but as my babies ( Skipper and Yuki, my Westies) are waiting for me in Tokyo, go back to Tokyo I must. As I write this, I’m thinking how can I finagle a one-week vacation in Kyoto before I go back to the States!
Dinner at Omen started with Mozuku: Seaweed in vinegar
Omen's famous sesame tofu
Eggplant Dengaku, Grilled Ayu and a Yuba salad seasoned with plum
Their famous tempura.
Omen- Vegetable Udon- Since it was warm, I had it with the cold broth. You season your own broth with sesame, kinpira gobo (burdock root salad), add noodles and spice it up with pickles, ginger or green onions. Delicious!
After dinner I walked the philosopher's path and saw a kid chasing the pigeons. There were no tourists in site, just locals having an early evening stroll.
I took the 7pm bullet train back to Tokyo.
Great!!!
Posted by: Account Deleted | April 26, 2012 at 09:46 AM