This morning we started with a wonderful breakfast at our Ryokan.
A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn that originated in the Edo period (1603–1868), when they served travellers along Japan's highways. They typically have tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors wear yukata and talk with the owner. We are staying at three different Ryokan in Kyoto. Last night was our first night. We didn't have a communal bath, but a private one with a wooden tub. In the morning, the lady in this picture came in to put our beds away and make us breakfast. |
We had to choose between Western or Japanese breakfast. Easy choice. It was a massive breakfast with lots of food we hadn't tried before - all of which was delicious. After finishing breakfast, we headed off back up the hill to see some more temples, including the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple. | However, we had to start the day with some incense burning and a wander around the 24 metre Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara at Ryozen Kannon. This is a temple built by Hirosuke Ishikawa in 1955 to honour fallen Japanese as well as foreign national soldiers who died in World War II. |
Then we met some geisha along the way. Actually, they looked too young to be geisha and they were probably apprentices called maiko ("dance child") or hangyoku ("half-jewel"), meaning that they are paid half of the wage of a full geisha.
The Kiyomizu-dera Temple was founded in the early Heian period, around 798. Its present buildings were constructed in 1633. There is not a single nail used in the entire structure.
It takes its name from the waterfall within the complex, which runs off the nearby hills. Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water.
After leaving, we saw some road work fencing we thought you'd like Meggy. We also saw another lucky dog going for a 'stand'. I don't think Ella could stay still this long.
Later that afternoon, we went to visit Ginkaku-ji, which means "silver pavilion".
Ginkaku-ji was originally built to serve as a place of rest and solitude for Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa who had inspired a new outpouring of traditional culture. Having retired to the villa, it is said Yoshimasa sat in the pavilion, contemplating the calm and beauty of the gardens as the Ōnin War worsened and Kyoto was burned to the ground.
In addition to the temple's famous building, the property features wooded grounds covered with a variety of mosses. The Japanese garden was designed by the great landscape artist Sōami. The sand garden of Ginkaku-ji has become particularly well known - the carefully formed pile of sand which is said to symbolise Mount Fuji is an essential element in the garden.