KYOTO 20-22 May

After our day in Imbe we moved into our new Kyoto hotel and enjoyed a very nice dinner.  This is just one of the many courses.

 

Using local trains the next day, we visited the World Heritage listed Tenryuji temple and gardens.  En route to Kyoto Station, we passed statues of Buddhist disciples, all having different attributes (studious, musical ...) and one whose face peels off for some reason.

 

An avenue of poles containing kimono fabrics is a feature at Arashiyama Station.

We walked past a stream with weir, bridge, boats. Egrets and cormorants were fishing. There was a small hydro station to power lights on the bridge.

We passed a Nintendo Museum.  Apparently, Nintendo in the form of poem cards dates back 150 years.

 

Tenryu-ji, Temple of the Heavenly Dragon, was established in 1339 but after many fires, most of the present buildings date from 1868-1912.  It is a Zen Buddhist temple.

 The garden is one of the oldest in Japan and is a World Cultural Heritage site.

Teenagers hire kimonos for the occasion.

Frog pond where you throw in money to get more back = good luck

Our next walk was through Okochi Sanso Villa and gardens.  Okochi was a friend of Charlie Chaplin.

 

A cut above the average garden shed!  Actually, a tea house.

Distant temple

Pruning Japanese-style

Lunched in Arashiyama and returned to Kyoto to visit Nijo Castle which was founded in 1603.  More than 2000 paintings survive from their origins in 1626.  In 1867 the fifteenth Tokugawa shogun returned sovereignty to the emperor and the castle became the property of the Imperial family.  In earlier times the emperor was a figurehead with real power vested in the shogun.

Entrance

Cranes with open mouths = beginning; closed mouths = end of life

Information below is taken from Wikipedia:
The castle is an excellent example of social control manifested in architectural space. Low-ranking visitors were received in the outer regions of the Ninomaru, whereas high-ranking visitors were shown the more subtle inner chambers. Rather than attempt to conceal the entrances to the rooms for bodyguards (as was done in many castles), the Tokugawas chose to display them prominently. Thus, the construction lent itself to expressing intimidation and power to Edo-period visitors.
The building houses several different reception chambers, offices and the living quarters of the shogun, where only female attendants were allowed. One of the most striking features of the Ninomaru Palace are the "nightingale floors" (uguisubari) in the corridors. To protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins, the builders constructed the floors of the corridors in such a way as to squeak like birds when anyone walks on them.
Some of the floorboards were 60cm wide.
No photography is permitted inside the castle.  The images below are taken from the brochure issued with our ticket. 

In 1953 this garden was designated a Special Scenic Beauty Site.

David liked the subway art.

Miho Museum was temporarily closed so everyone chose their own activities on Sunday, 22 May.  We explored Kyoto with Fred and Jenny.  First stop was the extraordinary railway station.

We ate a good lunch on the 11th floor at a noodle cafe which did not have customers lining up outside.  Benches are outside most cafes in Japan for patrons waiting for a place.  We cooked (heated/fried) the food at our table.  David was more impressed than my photo suggests.

Next we went to the Gion (geisha) district which on a Sunday was crammed with tourists.  Police controlled the pedestrian traffic.

  We came to an area with art exhibition halls and a temple but did not find out what it was all about.

More walking to Yashika shrine area.  Wiki tells me that construction of the main shrine was started in 656 and that it attracted many visitors - thus the geisha connection.

The shrine is Shinto.  Apparently many Japanese have affinity with both Shinto and Buddhism but this place was just Shinto.  Many Japanese people were there lining up to buy prayer cards and/or ring a bell to pray for something.

Just choose your picture and prayer

 

 

 No evening event so we ventured out with Jenny and Fred to find a restaurant.  Eventually we went upstairs where a sign indicated they served beef.  It didn't look promising and we had problems understanding the menu.  However we were happy enough with our meals, though rather surprised.

Self-cooked on a grill - very tender

Japanese version of Steak Tartare