The Imperial Palace, Tokyo

I'm spending a day here in Tokyo getting ready to go back to my regular life. I enjoyed a beautiful stroll through the Imperial Palace East Gardens today.

Toji Temple, Kyoto

This temple is very significant to the Shikoku Pilgrimage. It was founded by Kukai (Kobo Daishi), founder of the pilgrimage. He actually lived here and he built its famous pagoda. I paid a second visit to get one last stamp in my temple book.

Nijo Castle, Kyoto

I ended my day with a stroll through Nijo Castle and it's lovely gardens.

Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto

Yasaka Shrine was a busy place today with several weddings taking place. I took a long walk through the gardens of Maruyama Park while I was there.

Sanjusangen-do Temple, Kyoto

This place was amazing. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take pictures inside. Inside the main building are 1001 statues of the Buddhist deity Kannon. There are another 28 statues of guardian deities in front of the 1001 Kannon statues. It was a breathtaking sight to see.

Kyoto

I have been wandering through Kyoto for a couple of days. There are so many amazing sites to see here that a person could spend a lifetime here and still not see it all.

The crowds have been horrendous though. Sometimes they drive me a little crazy because I can hardly move without bumping into someone. Kyoto Station is a complete madhouse to the point where it is almost laughable. It's almost impossible to get where you are trying to go sometimes.

But Kyoto is such an amazing place that it is worth the extra effort it takes to get around. I did make good use of the bus system today though. But I still did quite a bit of walking. I walked to Kiyomizu-dera Temple first. It was extremely crowded but once I started up the steep paths to the pagoda I left the crowds behind. I even found a completely deserted steep pathway down through the gardens rather than fight the crowds back to the street.

Then I caught the bus to the Heian Jingu Shrine and from there walked one of my favorite little pathways. It's called The Path of Philosophy. It wasn't very crowded either and I followed it all the way to Ginkakuji Temple, where all of the crowds were hiding. It was crazy there but the gardens there are some of the most spectacular of any I've seen. Beautiful ponds and so many varieties of trees. They have fascinating gardens of sand there too. It would be such a peaceful place if not for thousands of people sharing it with you!

My favorite spot is Kinkakuji Temple so I grabbed another bus and spent some time there. The last time I was there it was cloudy. But today the gold foil covering the outside of the building just sparkled in the sun. It is a spectacular place to visit.

So many places to see here that I haven't decided where to go tomorrow.

Kinkakuji, Kyoto

Always my favorite place here in Kyoto. The spectacular Kinkakuji Temple - the Golden Pavilion with its brilliant gold foil exterior, and of course, profoundly magnificent gardens and ponds.

Ginkakuji, Kyoto

I walked along my favorite path, The Path of Philosophy to the Ginkakuji Temple with its beautiful gardens and views of the city.

Heian Jingu Shrine, Kyoto

A very colorful place here in Kyoto.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kyoto

Exploring Kyoto today starting with Kiyomizu-dera with its beautiful gardens.

Toji Temple Pagoda, Kyoto

Kyoto Now

I'm officially finished with the Shikoku Pilgrimage but am spending a few days in another important religious center in Japan. I am now in Kyoto for my third visit.

I love this city. Today I hiked up through the enormous series of Torii Gates to visit the many Shinto Shrines along the trail system at the Fushimi Inari Shrine. This must be one of the most unusual places on earth. There must be hundreds of these bright red gates. It took about 2 hours to reach the top, all through tunnels of these beautiful gates!

Koyasan in the Rain

It was hard to sleep last night because it was pouring rain all night long. I got up at 5:30 to be awake enough to go observe the monks in their morning temple ceremony. It was so beautiful and peaceful in that beautiful sanctuary by candle light with the scent of burning incense listening to the Buddhist monks chant their morning prayers.

I was really struck not by the difference but by the similarities to my own Roman Catholic religion. As worshipers enter the temple they bow. Candle lighting is always a part of any temple ceremony. Incense is always present and one lights a candle and incense as part of their prayers. The Buddhists have many statues that represent the various saints who have performed great works and miracles through the ages. There is even a beaded prayer rosary similar to the one we Catholics use. When the monks chant their sutras it is not unlike the Gregorian chants of monks in any Catholic monastery. As I noted these similarities I realized how the symbolism of light from the candles, scented smoke rising from the incense, and the peaceful rhythm of the chanted prayers are universal in their ability to help bring the human mind into a peaceful, spiritual, meditative, and prayerful state. Our basic spirituality isn't that different really. Aren't we all just seeking a closeness to our spiritual side? Buddhists and Christians both have an ultimate goal of becoming better more loving people. Christians strive to become closer to God and free from all that is evil with a goal of eternal peace, and Buddhists seek a perfect enlightened state that will bring an end to suffering and an eternal peace free from attachment to worldly objects.
I believe all of humanity is really seeking the same thing. We want to live in a peaceful blissful world.

I took a long walk through the huge Okunoin Graveyard, which seemed even more mysterious in the fog and mist than it did yesterday in the sunshine. There are such odd shapes and statues, many of which are very old and beaten down by weather, moss and lichens that have attached themselves to them. Seeing thousands of grave markers really made me contemplate the impermanence of our life here on earth. I read that there are over 200,000 grave sites there. So many people over so many centuries. I wondered who each of them were. What were their lives like?

I finally decided that it was time to leave. Of course there is always more to see but I felt I had seen what I really needed to see of Koyasan. I'm so glad I had time to go there. It's a very special place. I rode the cable car back down to the train station and am back in Osaka for the night.

Walk Through Okunoin

It was kind of a spooky walk in the rain and fog through the enormous Okunoin Graveyard that has over 200,000 gravestones and mysterious tiny stairways leading off into the deep woods.

Kiotaka Inari Shrine

I couldn't resist walking this odd little trail up the hill through all these red gates to Kiotaka Inari Shrine. Fascinating place. I'm so glad I took that little walk.

Jimyoin Temple, Koyasan

I love the flowers everywhere.