Konbonwa, Kyoto. Ohayo Chicago.
How are you all doing, I would like to know. Please drop a comment to say hi, to brag about the …freezing weather in Chicago, tell me about your new pet, or tell me about your plans for figuring cold fusion. I would like to know!
So, I am in Kyoto. For those of you know don’t know, Kyoto was the former capital until…18….68. 1868. Kyoto translates to “capital city” in English, but Tokyo is the current capital of Japan. Prior to being the capital city, it was called Heian-kyō , from the Heian period which began in 794 (other periods existed in between, but Kyoto remained capital until Tokyo (despite other parts of the nation becoming much more powerful – long story.)
The problem with coming to Kyoto is that there’s not just one big attraction to come see…there’s hundreds (if not thousands.) Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples are a popular sight and the architecture is harmoniously tranquil with the nature surrounding it (though, we are all nature,really.)
*A quick philosophical inquiry… Despite the inexplicable beauty we witness at these places, meditating would seem more effective if it were in a place that was more difficult to meditate, such as at a busy intersection with noisy cars, people holding thousands of conversations, et cetra… At the same time, being in too peaceful of an environment might cause one to sleep, and in Buddhism, one must be very aware and mindful while meditating, so perhaps not falling asleep would be just as hard of a challenge…*
So, I visited several areas in the last couple days. Thanks to my JR Pass (pass for foreigners that allows unlimited use of Japan’s railway system for 7, 14, or 21 days,) I took a couple trains to Southern Kyoto and visited the famous Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine (see my picture of Torii gates at Fushimi below.) It’s a shrine that’s best known for its seemingly infinite row of torii (Shinto gates, that help purify the soul as the visitor approaches the main Shinto hall.) Like many shrines and temples in Kyoto, it involves a bit of hiking to get to the top, which wasn’t difficult because i’m kinda in-shape at this point of my life, but the difficulty arose when the maps and signs were only in Kanji at a certain point going up. Does anyone have a “Learn Kanji in 24 hours” book that I can borrow?
I approached the Torii as a visitor not knowing much about Shinto, except that it is an animistic religion that worships Kami (“gods” in Japanese) that have roots in the natural elements around us – water, rocks, elements of nature. It’s a definite part of Japanese culture, for many were worshiping the kami at these shrines, but it seems to serve a more occasional ceremonious function rather than incorporated into daily practice.
I’m behind a day, so tomorrow I shall write and post pictures about my experiences today (technically yesterday, for its 12:36 am right now) at Kodai-ji, a Zen temple in Eastern Temple, and talk about Geisha!
Arigato gozai-mas~