Kyoto temples

It's Saturday night, and it's raining in Kyoto. It's just as well because I really should stay in: I'm bordering on complete exhaustion. Traveling alone, I haven't had many "checks and balances" to keep myself to a moderate pace. I've walked too far, done too much, eaten too little, and generally pushed myself more than I should. But I've seen what I've wanted and experienced China and Japan on my own terms, so maybe it's just as well.

And it's forced me to meet people, and that ain't bad. I've had to rely on the kindness of strangers ... and so many people have been so kind to me. Yesterday a young woman, a student at Ritsumeikan University, pointed me in the wrong direction when I was looking for a temple, and about ten minutes later she found me: she had backtracked for what must have been a couple of blocks to find me and tell me she was wrong.

Before that, on Friday morning, I asked the concierge about the next and most important phase of my trip ... to Niigata prefecture. She spent probably two hours with me, helping me find points of interest and booking a hotel there. She was searching through websites (in Japanese), making phone calls to museums, and helping me figure out the best "base" for exploring that area. Her help was above and beyond what she was "supposed" to do. So I'm grateful to her, as I am to the others I've met here, and also to my friends back home, who have helped me make all of this work. Xie xie ni. Domo arigato.

I said this is the "most important" phase of my trip because it's where Ryokan lived, and I think most of my friends know the extent to which I adore his poetry. I doubt I would be in Asia now if I hadn't stumbled on a poem of his probably 5 or 6 years ago. Yes, I've combined a number of professional activities with sightseeing on this trip, but this is really the reason I'm here. Or perhaps a better way of putting it is that Ryokan's poetry was sort of a gateway to Asian culture and my interest in the East. Han Shan's mountain turned out to be elusive, but I can't let the same thing happen with Ryokan's. It means too much to me.

So tomorrow I will spend five hours on a train to get there. I could have chosen to fly, but by the time you deal with all the logistics I'm not sure it's worth it. Kyoto doesn't have an airport (which is a good thing), so getting to Osaka and flying to Niigata and then backtracking to where I need to be ... I don't think it's worth it. And I could use a little rest on a train. Thus far it's been a relaxing experience.

Why am I so tired? When I was traveling in Germany and Switzerland I remember feeling "castled out" at some point because I had seen so many (castles). Tonight I feel "templed out". And I should probably apologize here for what must be a preponderance of temple photos under the 2006-07-14 heading ... sorry.

So yesterday I saw Myoshin-ji, Ninna-ji, and Ryoan-ji. I began by taking the train to Myoshin-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple, where I got caught in the rain and sat on stairs underneath building eaves to stay dry. As an aside: where was my cheap plaid umbrella? After the showers cleared it was still hot as hell and even more humid. But I loved the architecture.

After that I walked to Ninna-ji, a Shingon Buddhist temple, with the cutest little zig-zag bridges (walkways, really) connecting many of the buildings. Again, an architectural delight.

From there I walked to Ryoan-ji, which is affiliated with Myoshin-ji, and home of the most famous Zen garden:

"What's so special about the garden at Ryoanji?" I asked him, naming the famous rock and sand garden in Kyoto's most brochured and pamphleted Zen temple. "The spaces between the rocks," he replied, with his mouth full of toothpaste.

-Alan Booth, Looking for the Lost

What I found interesting here was all of the people sitting, gazing at the rock garden, which was smaller than I had imagined. I sat and gazed, too, of course, but I somehow hadn't expected to see what looked almost like sports fans, sitting there, focused, watching their favorite team. It was nice.

For a change of pace, at night I walked up and down Shijo Street, which is closed to traffic because of the Gion festival which is taking place now in Kyoto. Thousands of people are out walking and enjoying each other, buying food and drinks and arts and crafts from street vendors. And lots of women and girls are out wearing traditional Japanese dress, yukatas, and wearing little tabi socks and traditional sandals. So cute.

Today I got up and got out again to see Daitoku-ji, also affiliated with Myoshin-ji, and within saw Daisen-in, where photographs were not allowed, and also Ryogen-in. Overall, Daitoku-ji felt perhaps more "comfortable" than the other temples I visited ... something about the atmosphere there. In Daisen-in the gardens were as beautiful or more so than any I've seen. Also, the words of Soen Ozeki appeared in various places and I liked them, so I scribbled them down. First the inward:

Each day in life is training
training for myself though failure is possible
living each moment
equal to anything
ready for everything
I am alive -- I am this moment
my future is here and now
for if I cannot endure today
when and where will I?

And then the outward:

A Song of Gratitude

The whole family, harmonious and devout.
Aware of debts to our parents and ancestors.
Revering Nature, grateful for society.
Always humble, learning from others.
Able to give, demonstrating kindness.
Making one's motto: "A bright life."
Overlooking others' faults, correcting one's own.
Moderate in speech, not getting angry.
Gentle, kind, honest.
Let's appreciate the joy of life.
Patient. Peaceful.
Not getting angry.
Careful in speech.
This leads to a long life.