Our last day in Kyoto was Superbowl "Monday" thanks to the time difference. I woke up and dialed right into the CBS sports app on my phone, where I saw images of the players (and Taylor Swift of course) arriving at the stadium. The game had just started before we left the hotel for our final adventure, and I stayed plugged into the score as we navigated to the final sights on our Kyoto itinerary.
We took the subway to the first stop, a Buddhist temple called Nansen-ji in the northeastern part of the city. I found it to be one of the more interesting and unusual temples we visited - its grounds were extensive with many sub-temples, a Zen garden, and steps up to a second story that overlooks Kyoto. Great view.
Like other temples, this one was initially an emperor's retirement villa (and a pretty impressive one at that). But today, it's the headquarters for the Rinzai School of Zen. Rinzai's celebrated master and major reformer, Hakuin, taught that direct knowledge of the truth is available to all, even the lowliest, and that a moral life must accompany religious practice. This was quite a departure from old- school Buddhism. As tour guide Ben shared with us on Day 1, Hakauin was responsible for opening Buddhism up to everyone in Japan - including prostitutes, fortune tellers and fishermen. Why fishermen you ask? Ben said fishermen were likely considered outcasts because, well, they smelled like fish... 🐟
Anyway, I remember seeing the white stucco facade of the buildings and the dark wooden exterior beams and they struck me as looking similar to the style of Swiss chalets.
Then we embarked upon the Path of Philosophy which is a lovely walk along a canal in what seemed to be a quiet residential area and home to, you guessed it, even more temples. As temple fatigue was once again setting in, Paul saw a sign for a restaurant serving Philly cheese steaks and pulled pork sandwiches.
It was about four minutes into the 4th quarter of the game - what better time to take a break? So, we literally "watched" the CBS sports app relay who had the ball, how many yards were gained/lost, and the score, play after play, as we feasted on a fabulous, all-American lunch. Believe it or not, even though we could not see the actual game being played, it was exciting to watch the stats update every few minutes. OT caused us to order a second beer and cheer on the Chiefs to a second consecutive win.
Our final stop before boarding the bullet train back to Tokyo was Ginkaku-ju, the Silver Pavilion (as opposed to yesterday's gold one). This sight is revered by the Japanese and considered hallowed ground. The temple dates back to the 1400s and was the retirement villa of a shogun who had intended to cover the main building (now temple) in silver. Even though that never came to pass, the name Silver Pavilion stuck.
There are gardens, a pond, and a path that leads up a mountainside through pine trees. While this is one of the most popular attractions in Kyoto, I must admit, it pales in comparison to the Golden Pavilion. But its popularity has more to do with history and Buddhism than it does aesthetics.
We saw a lot of Kyoto in three days and while exhausting, it was well worth it. Now I'm better informed about what to see and what not to see when I head back there with our daughters in early April. If you ever make it to Japan, definitely visit the ancient capital for a taste of tradition, beauty and history.
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