Arashiyama: Temples and Gardens

Today, we took the JR Train to Arashiyama on the outskirts of Kyoto.  Arashiyama is a quiet town, except for the many tourists who visit it! 

Cherry Blossoms at Tenryu-Ji Temple

We went first to the famous Togetsukyo bridge.   Not great for blossoms as the season is past for the trees beside the river but they must hv been wonderful in their prime, just one week before our visit.  There were kimono-clad visitors and young Japanese girls everywhere.  The Japanese girls were typically accompanied by their family members - we didn't come across any mention of a "Girl's Festival" taking place that day,  so it could perhaps be some local  event.  The kimono-clad visitors were tourists pretending to be geisha.  But their languages and accents give them away - they were speaking in Mandarin, Cantonese and the like!  

Minimalism at Tenry-Ji Temple

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Anyway, we knew we were a little late for the cherry blossoms, so we were here in Arashiyama to visit temples and the famed bamboo grove.  First, the famous Tenryu-ji temple - one of the best-known zen temples in Kyoto (and another UNESCO World Heritage Site).  As can be expected of a zen temple, all the interiors were very minimalist :-)  Not so, however, its beautiful gardens, in particular the bountiful "Garden of Hundred Flowers" at the back of the temple.  Azaleas, camellias, and cherry blossoms were all out in force.

Thereafter, we went through the famous bamboo grove  - full of people taking photos!  Indeed, the tall bamboo trees were quite impressive, towering over the pathway.  The bamboo grove connects the back exit of the Tenryu-Ji temple to the famous Okochi Sanso Villa - the home of a Japanese silent movie star, Okochi Denjiro.  There was a little exhibition of him - his most famous role was obviously one of this gangster (yazuka member?) who has lost an eye.  So he looks most menacing in his photos.

The Villa itself was a small structure on the grounds of the property, and visitors were not allowed within.  The gardens, however, were a different story.  This is one of the famous "strolling gardens" of Kyoto with its extensive grounds, spreading across the entire hillside.   Indeed, we were presented with a different

garden and a different view at every turn, particularly of the surrounding areas.  Unfortunately, the cherry trees had already bloomed or we would have seen the far away mountains resting on "an ocean of cherry blossoms" as one little sign in the garden put it.  The visit ended with a little sweet and a bowlful of excellent matcha (we would learn, that there were many types of Japanese teas, of which the powdered green tea, or "matcha", was the most expensive).

Panorama - the view from the Villa

Maiko

As we left the villa to get to our next destination, we bumped into two maiko (apprentice geisha), who were attending a ceremony at one of the temples in the area!  They were impassive and ignored the tourists who were flocking around them (one tried to tap them on their shoulder to take a picture).  I got a photo - of their backs.  But that allowed me to capture the beautiful obi (sashes) they were wearing, their intricate hairdos and the characteristic white make-up on the back of their necks.

Our next stop was the Daikakuji temple - quite a walk (about 1.2 km) away. It is a very different temple from the "zen experience" we had at Tenryu-Ji.  It is very much a working temple, with its resident Ikebana Club putting up a small exhibition over the period (we saw their kimono clad members in the  grounds).  The temple has a few great prayer halls, all connected by a series of wooden corridors, many with creaking or "nightingale floors", designed to give

Osawa Pond

warning that an intruder was on his way.  A legacy from the temple's origins, as it used to be a palace, before being converted to a temple.  The Osawa Pond next to the temple was another scenic spot, with a long necked dragon boat ride available for visitors.  .

We took the bus back to Kyoto station, our home away from home, considering the many meals we had here!  We had dinner at a famous tempura restaurant, Ten-ichi.  It is a branch of a famous Tokyo restaurant and can count US President Bill Clinton as a patron.  The batter is thin and crispy, the food perfectly cooked within - still juicy and moist.  Yummy crunchy prawn heads :-)  Perfectly cooked fish which I ate with salt and lemon juice.

We walked back downstairs through Isetan and that was when we realised.... Isetan closes at 8pm and we were just in time to see all the salesgirls lining the corridor, each standing next to their stations.  As we walked past they gave a little bow to wish us goodbye.   

We went next to Daiso - it was one place which had not closed. Yeah!  Daiso here is a 100 yen shop, everything is 100 yen or rather 100 yen plus the 8% sales tax ie everything is 108 yen.  Unfortunately for us the sales tax had just risen from 5% to 8%, or everything would have been 105 yen.  But given 105 yen is about S$1.20 or so, it is, incredibly, still cheaper than Daiso Singapore which is a S$2 shop.  Bought some drip coffee - 4 sachets per pack, so it was about 30cents per sachet.  Not too bad for a cup of ground coffee.

After all this temple visiting, shopping, etc, we were quite tired out at the end of the day. More photos will be put up in batches on my Flickr page.