20. KYOTO - PLUM BLOSSOMS AND TORII

Tuesday March 5, 2013 continued

Seeing as we came a month too early for the famous cherry blossom festival we will have to make do with plum blossoms... But I think you'll agree, they are not bad at all.

Kitano Tenman-gū Shinto shrine

 

A delightful lunch

Sawako and Toshie

Nijo castle

Fushimi Inari Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings.

 

Or as we like to call it, the fox shrine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who says foxes rule around here???

 

And we finish the day with another very nice Japanese meal

 

 

 

 

Lloydnalex

 

19. KYOTO - THE GOLDEN PAVILION AND THE ULTIMATE ROCK GARDEN

Tuesday March 5, 2013

Ok, so we enjoyed the last few days finding our own way around with a little help from the locals (since the street signs are in Japanese). But today and tomorrow we will meet some brothers and sisters from a local Kyoto congregation who will tour us around very generously. Once again we are spoiled rotten by our newfound friends.

This is Seiji... Who took us to meet...

Toshie and Sawako, our beautiful hostesses for the day.

By coincidence we ran into a group of friends out in the ministry. This sister with Alex is 87 years old.

 

First stop, Kinkaku-ji ("Temple of the Golden Pavilion").

 

The Golden Pavilion is one of those must see temples, set in a beautiful garden.

Originally a villa from 1397, later transformed into a Buddhist temple. It was burned down in 1950 and rebuilt in 1955.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop, Ryoan-Ji or the Temple of the Dragon at Peace, whatever that means. We are particularly interested in seeing the rock garden.

 

That's not it...

Mmm, that's like it but a tad small

15 stones arranged in a sea of gravel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the plumb blossoms anyone?

Lloydnalex