Kyoto - Day 2

Today was a late start since our hotel had a very small breakfast area and when we went down at 8 am there was no where to sit. It was a cheap hotel. We came back at 9 and found seats but considering what was on offer it was hardly worth the wait. Etsuko enjoyed it but I'm still not accustomed to Japanese style breakfasts.

Our first stop today was Ryōan-ji another of kyoto's Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World heritage site.


Japanese Rock Garden - Ryōan-ji

This is perhaps the most famous of Japan's rock gardens. There are 15 rocks in this garden but no matter what angle you view it from (except above) you can only see 14 rocks. It is said that once you have attained enlightenment you will be able to see all 15 rocks. Looks like plenty of people are trying...


Ryōan-ji's Tsukubai


Also at Ryōan-ji is this tsukubai. It's used for the ritual washing of the hands at Buddhist temples. The 4 kanji characters carved in to the stone have little individual significance but when combined with the 5th central kanji, they take on a profound meaning, ware tada taru shiru, which roughly translates to mean "what one has is all one needs". Very Zen.

Next up is Kinkaku-ji or the Golden Pavilion, another world heritage site and one of the most visited places in all of Japan. The top two floors are made of real gold.


Bowl and Coins

I have know idea why, but people were trying to throw coins into this bowl. Given the number of coins outside the bowl, it looks quite hard but it wasn't that far away so I thought I would have a go too.  However 15 yen later and all I could do was add to the outsiders. I'm not sure what you "win" if you get one in. No one else could do it either.


Shinto Priestesses


Later in the day we made our way to Heian jingu, a Shinto Shrine.


Stone Guardian


Not sure if these statues are supposed to be lions or dogs. I think they look like lions but others have told me they look like dogs. Most shrines and temples have a pair of them.


Paper Lanterns at Yasuka Shrine


We ended the day at Yasuka Shrine before walking back to Kyoto station. Our night bus left at 11:30 pm but all the cafes closed at 9 or 10 pm so it was a chilly wait for the bus after that. Unlike the bus we came here on (different companies) this one had some reasonable leg room and I managed a little sleep.