It was our last full day in Kyoto, with two outstanding items on our ‘must-see’ list jostling for attention. The first was a visit to the The Golden Pavilion (Rokuon-ji Temple); the 2nd a trek up into the mountains to experience the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
We didn’t realise it at the time, but today would ultimately reveal itself to be the brightest highlight of the entire holiday – and all due to a series of entirely unexpected events…
We set out mid morning to the visit Golden Pavilion, unsure of what to truly expect, but our cab driver seemed to gleefully know exactly where to go, nodding enthusiastically and pointing ahead into his windshield. In fact when we pulled up, there were already several tourist buses lined-up – proof that it is clearly one of the more popular sights in Kyoto.
The area surrounding the Pavilion was truly beautiful – a complex mix of hills, gardens, woods and waterfalls all covered in soft yellowish moss and muted green earthy tones. As we left the hum of the coaches & buses behind, the morning sun glistened through the autumn leaves, lighting our way along the pebbled path all the way up to the entrance. And then ever so gently it subtly began to snow, bringing a tangible sense of calm and stillness to the atmosphere. Serenity for just a few seconds as it were.
Upon entry, the Golden Pavilion is literally the first thing you see, it’s truly quite a sight to behold. The entire scene, complete with the lake in front, tiny islands dotted within it, mountains behind and this luminous golden temple situated between both looked exactly like it had been lifted out of numerous Japanese paintings and artworks. Until you realise that all of those painters and artists had stood where we were standing, capturing and soaking in the same scene.
You can’t actually go into the temple and clearly it’s been restored – but in terms of a private residence (which it once was) it would serve as the ideal environment to clear your mind, be a one with the world and detune from all the other worldly distractions so prevalent in our modern day lives. The overwhelming feeling I sensed during my time as I walked around the gardens and hillside was one of retrospection & quite reflection. The perfect place to muse and ponder those hard decisions or difficult choices.
Also situated within the grounds were a few smaller temples and other minor monuments – none of them compare to the Golden Pavilion, but they merely added to the sense that you were in an environment that was at once both spiritual and peaceful.
The very last area of the park, right near the exit, is a small street lined with several stands catering purely to tourists. It was the first time on the holiday (and in fact the only time on tour), that I really felt like I was being treated like the token foreign tourist and to me, it cheapened the moment somewhat. Until that point, the area had felt like a place of true history, spirit and continuity – to suddenly be faced with ice-cream vending machines and tacky key rings dampened what had, up until that point, been a really rewarding few hours.
After all that walking about, lunchy munchy was in order so we headed into the centre of Kyoto and set about trying to find somewhere to eat. I actually had no idea that through the middle of the city ran across a huge river, but at the time we crossed over it, it was both muddy and murky. With the bleak day rapidly getting colder as the weather closed in – it was more a case of diving into a place, any place, rather than traipsing around looking at various fluoro menus.
I actually can’t remember the name of the place we went to, but as soon as we made our way through the curtain, we all knew we’d picked a winner. The entire place was spotless (as is everywhere) and housed a sushi bar that ran the entire length of the wall with 10 chefs manning it, cutting, slicing, dicing & laying various seafood out on ice. Smiley happy waitresses in the classic kimono’s fluttered around pouring tea and generally being overly helpful and best of all the entire place was as warm as a furnace! Which was perfect, seeing as at that point it must have been 4c outside.
The guys ordered various Bento boxes, but I actually opted for the sizzling steak – it actually wasn’t overly memorable, but what did make us all chuckle was the Japanese girls on the table next to us. Upon seeing what I’d ordered, 3 of the 4 of them all giggled and pointed…and in true Japanese style, ordered exactly the same. Dan joked that I have such universal appeal, that I apparently even have the ability to influence culinary tastes internationally – I just hope they enjoyed theirs more than I did!
As we made our way outside, stomachs full and with the feelings back in all our extremities – Jesse decided that he was pretty much all “templed out” and wanted to spend some time alone to investigate the streets of Kyoto & buy souvenirs for his family back home. Dan and I opted to brave the elements and head into the mountains once again, this time on the other side of Kyoto to see the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
It was here that the real standout of entire trip occurred for us both.
The only perception we had about Kiyomizu-dera Temple was that is was one of the largest Buddhist temples in Kyoto housing some great views of the city itself. The perfect place as it were, for a few happy snaps and to literally see a new perspective to the city.
Our taxi only drove us partly way up the mountainside and faced with a single narrowing cobbled street that lead up to the temple itself and hordes of people, we had to make the rest of the journey by foot. And when I say a single street, I really do mean that – crammed wall to wall with passersby. Hundreds of shops lined the ride of the street, their roofs jutting out at staggered angles along the way, whilst everyone scurried along side by side.
The whole scene was simply bustling with movement, the constant hum of chatter and brightly colour signs demanding attention each few steps. And yet oddly enough there was a sense of control about it all, controlled chaos as it were. Nobody pushed, nobody shouted – everyone seemed upbeat and positive.
There were very few foreign tourists to be seen, which wasn’t a surprise seeing as the earthquake, travel warnings and Fukashima Power Plant meltdown proved more than enough ammunition for them to cancel their trip. Dan and I frequently found ourselves to be the only Western faces on view – which was quite nice, the thought of having loud obnoxious American tourists floating around wouldn’t have been ideal haha.
When we made our way to the top of the street, I thought we’d be faced with the Kiyomizu-dera Temple but instead, there was a simply beautiful monument called “The Dragons Gate” which first served as the official entrance.
What was even more remarkable about this monument, was not only its design and how well it had been maintained, but it was the first time, the first place in the whole of Japan where Dan & I had seen the highly celebrated cherry blossom. Its blossom is considered the first sign of life / rebirth and spring and so it’s often celebrated and considered by the Japanese as a symbol of rebirth and a new beginning.
When you get to the entrance of the gate and look back down behind you, you’re faced with a completely uninterrupted view of the Kyoto skyline & surrounding valley. It’s not until you see that you realise just how far away from the actual city you are. There was real sense of majesty standing there that day, looking down on the cobbled street below and the tiny buildings of the city centre in the blue distance. Felt for the briefest of moments like you were on top of the world.
And then unexpected happened.
It was quite faint a first. A few thuds in the distance that became progressively louder, then came the chanting and ringing of bells. The crowds below in the cobbled street shifted to either side, as up came a precession of Buddhist monks, priests & guards carrying a huge paper Dragon on sticks, winding its away up the path.
As the procession drew closer, we were ushered to the side, but not removed from the scene; in fact we were amongst a handful of people that had front row seats.
On reflection, it must have been a Buddhist ceremony to celebrate the start of spring – everyone in the procession was clothed in traditional Japanese attire and I think it was at this point that for Dan and myself that the highlight of the trip clicked in.
With all the Buddhist monks and guards now in position – and with the High Priest himself stationed at the very top of the gate – as if on command it started to snow heavily.
And that’s when the entire scene started becoming surreal.
Slowly the dragon curled and slide its way up across the courtyard & up to the steps, coming face to face with the High Priest himself – by the snow had turned into a mini blizzard.
For the briefest, for the faintest of moments, with nobody around, nobody in front of my camera, no noise, no fear, the snow & icy cold wind skittling around – I felt like I had stepped back in time, transported back to 300 years to feudal Japan, nothing more than silent ghostly spectator watching on.
It felt otherworldly, a sight I’d never seen nor would experience again with the same sense of wonder, bewilderment and enchantment. It really made the entire trip worth it and whilst in reality, the entire scene took mere seconds, to Daniel & myself; it will serve as a lifetime of memories.
Dan and I both looked at each other, knowing that we’d both just witnessed another, almost magical side to Japan – a side few people will have the opportunity to fully appreciate or feel. After a few moments of standing there allowing the entire moment to sink in, we followed the path of the dragon and entered the gate, heading up to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
After passing through the gate, you walk through the courtyards of a few other temple houses, which again were pretty spectacular and imposing. I did laugh because at one point these four fashionable young teens parade across the walkway in unison – like a Japanese version of intro credits to Sex In The City, strutting along in slow motion.
In complete contrast, I also saw a couple dressed in the traditional kimonos (apparently you get a discount if you enter in traditional dress) their very presence added to the atmosphere of calm and grace of the day.
You could tell they were in love – it was almost chivalrous at times, a game of courting, sincere, measured and always respectful. From the manner in which she daintily floated along, through to the way in which he gently held her hand as she made her way up the wooden steps in her Japanese Geta sandals – a couple with a bright future by all accounts.
On the subject of love, in one area of the temple there was a small courtyard which was crammed full of colour & echoes of people laughing loudly. In the middle of all the commotion were two rocks about 15ft apart, the idea being you start with your eyes shut and heel against the back of the nearest one and walk, eyes closed across the courtyard to the furtherest one.
If you managed to get there successfully, you would be successful in love, if you missed it and were off the mark, the sign rather diplomatically stated that “it would be sometime, until you found happiness”
Whilst the entire “Love Rock” concept was clearly a tourist gimmick, it was a lot of fun watching people staggering, stumbling, laughing and waving their hands around to guide their way – all in the hope of making it across to the other side, with their guarantee of happiness in tact.
The sheer size of temple itself was remarkable, its view of Kyoto expansive and its grounds immaculately well maintained. I cannot imagine how many man-hours it would have taken to create such a spectacle. A large staircase lead down to the smaller garden areas and bottom of the temple, where just prior to the exit there was a small blessing well – again the mood, much like the “love rock” courtyard was one of chatter, buzz and excitement. Lots of smiles, lots of laughter and a very real sense of respect and quiet hope – that somehow, everything was going to be just fine.
I took a photo of three girls gleefully making wishes whilst maintaining the traditions of yesteryear. You could see they were caught up in the wonder of it all – believing that with a little luck, a better world for was possible for themselves. It captured the mood of our visit perfectly, providing a fitting final image to our tour of the temple.
It was sad that Jesse wasn’t able to experience the day with us – because (and I hope) as you can tell from the photos & this post, it was a truly magical day in the lives of both Daniel & myself.
Unfortunately, out there in the bigger world, the realities of the situation affect Japan were sharply brought back into focus when we made it back to the hotel, complete with internet and TV access. The worsening Fukashima Power Plant crisis, the fears of our families and friends compounding back home and an urgent travel warning issued by the Australian Government that all Australian’s should leave Japan with immediate effect, we decided to cut our tour early and opted to fly back to Australia in the evening the next day.
With power blackouts, food shortages, radiation leaks, after shocks and disruptions to basic services in Tokyo (our planned next stop) the last thing they needed was 3 more people draining resources.
But it didn’t take long until the three amigo’s were reunited later that evening. We braved the elements of Kyoto for our second night out in the town (it was pretty much a blizzard) and whilst it wasn’t filled with the randomness or girl bars of the first, we did have a good time.
We ducked into a venue called “Ghost Bar” which was a rock club – the size pretty much of your bedroom. You could tell that it was the one venue where new bands and upcoming musicians got their first gig – the tiny PA crammed into the corner of an even smaller stage, tour posters stapled to the walls and kooky artwork glaring at you in the bathroom.
In short we got pretty drunk – at least Jesse and I did, we even had a heated argument about Twitter on the way home – that should give you an indication as to the state he and I ended up in (Dan meanwhile was the perfect Bastian of sobriety and reason, essentially acting as referee throughout the argument.)
I remembered going to Ghost Bar, but shortly after things got a little hazy. I know I had a good time though, because I have a habit of thinking smoking a cigar is a wonderful idea when I’m really blitzed (I’m actually incredibly anti-smoking) and the next morning a photo emerged with me doing just that.
Oh dear 
The next morning (whilst the hangover was still causing havoc in our respective heads) we knew would be our last day, not just in Kyoto – but Japan itself. In my next post, I’ll cover our trip to the Geisha district Gion (which I’d mentioned previously) and our eye-opening trip to the Manga Museum – heaven on earth for comic book fans the world over.
Thanks for taking the time (as always)
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