Today’s adventure takes place in the city of Kyoto. There are over 1600 Buddhists temples, we were able to see two today, and over 400 Shinto Shrines, we were able to visit one today.

Kiyomezudera Temple, the Pure Water Temple, was the first stop of the day. We left Kobe by train to Kyoto Station. At Kyoto Station we entered cabs with beautiful doilies covering the seats that dropped us off at the street that leads us to this temple. The cobblestone narrow street was lined with shops. This area is known for Kiyomizu-yaki pottery. Just as we began the climb the heavens opened and it started to pour. Susan, Sharen, Andrea, and myself jumped into a coffee shop to wait out the rain. Because of this and shopping our way up to the temple we lost the group. Once at the temple we ran into them coming out of the temple. Us renegades spent the day together running into the group at the Kodaiji Temple and the Yasaka Shrine.

We made our way through Kiyomezudera temple. Andrea and I went up the hill to see the Jishu Shire, which is dedicated to the deity of love and matchmaking. There are two stones 18 meters apart outside the shrine. It is said that if you can walk from one stone to the other with your eyes closed you will bring yourself much luck in finding love. We watched several men and women try it. Most were successful but the one was not. I am not sure what will happen to him. It was a very popular shrine so it was very crowded. We did not stay long.

The Otowa Waterfall is located at the base of Kiyomezudera’s main hall. This is how the temple got its name. The falls have been channeled into to three flowing streams and visitors can drink from two of the streams but not all three because that is looked upon as being greedy. I am the only one who tried this. One stream has the benefit of longevity, the other success at school, and the third fortune in love life. I will let you guess which two drinks I took. It again was very crowded and you had to use a long pole with a cup on the end to get the water. Not the magical of experience as I would have liked it to be but I did it and only time will tell if I really see the benefits.

After the temple we strolled and found a nice restaurant for lunch. We all had bowls of buckwheat noodles and vegetables with chicken or tempura shrimp. This bowl of soup hit the spot on an off and on rainy day.

We maneuvered through the raindrops some small some large to the Kodaiji Temple. This temple has very nicely laid out traditional Japanese gardens. They were all around the halls. I could not stop looking at the designs and layouts of them. This was a very nice tranquil place to get out of the rain for a while.

With sometime studying the map, we began walking to the Yasaka shrine. Andrea was key at figuring out the path to take. Thanks Andrea. At the shrine we meet up with most of the group. Exchanged the days events and came to the consensus that it was time to go back to Kobe. A group of about 10 ventured to the railway and made it back to Kobe all together. We needed to ask for directions/more clarification from several friendly and helpful people along the way. Many of us have noticed how friendly people are and how safe we feel here in Japan.

Coming Attractions- Pictures
Do to some technical difficulties I am unable to add pictures to my blogs. I am working on this.

Japan Journal Day 13: Saturday July 10, 2010: 8:55 Kobe Time

If there was a day on the trip that was designed for yours truly, it was today. Today was all about hiking in to see not only the natural beauty of the Japanese wilderness, but also observe some ancient aspects of Japan not visible from denser civilization.

We took several trains to get to a town called ‘Mino’. Near this town is a famous falls called… Mino Falls. As we exited the train we met several interesting people, each in their own way. First, there was Brad. Brad is an American who has lived in Japan with a Japanese wife and family for several decades. He served as our primary tour guide for this portion of the day. Second was Scott. Scott was also an American who had married a Japanese wife and has lived in Japan for 35 years. Additionally, we hiked with three young women. One was Vietnamese woman named ‘Ho’ and was pursuing a Master’s in English focusing on Shakespeare’s comedy. Another was named Chie [pronounced ‘Chee-eh’] who was at university studying something or other. The last was a quiet one, whose name I never learned.

Our main objective was Mino Falls which was quite lovely. Construction has built a tunnel through the mountains near there, and it has cut into the flow of the river that feeds it. Eventually it will be completely unimpressive. The company that dug the tunnel is only responsible to pump water into the river for 5 years. There must be more to the story, but like most things, we don’t get the full scoop.

On the way to the falls, Patrick and I asked Brad about a staircase – where did it lead? He said it was less than 200 steps [hogwash, as it turned out] and said we could go up quick for a good view. We decided to go for it since a group was going to stop and view another temple. I consider myself an experience hiker, and in my experience, this was a crazy uphill. There were steps fashioned to make the ascent easier, but it was straight up the side of the mountain using switchbacks along the way. At the top, there was a gorgeous view of the valley. Jae and Amy joined us, and informed us that our detour had taken too long and that we should continue on and meet them at the falls.

This portion of the trip had the potential to turn into a fiasco, except for Jae’s unique background. There were three Japanese men at the viewing area at the top, and we tried in our fractured Japanese to ask the way to the falls. The broken Japanese wasn’t working so I asked if any of them understood English. None did, but one replied in Japanese: “Only Japanese and Korean.” Aha! Jae launched into his Korean, and for the next half hour, we had happy willing tour guides, and Jae made a new ‘Seoul brother’.

After joining the other group at the falls, thanks to our guides, we made plans for the rest of the day. Due to illness, our group of 17 was already pared down to 14. 2 more had declined to hike all the way to the falls. Several others decided the falls was enough and wanted to go back. Thus as we pushed on with the rest of the hike, we were down to the 5 new friends, and 8 others. There would be quite a bit more paring and dividing as the day progressed – but luckily some rejoining – but more on that later.

We walked a road and then a path up into the mountains. Coming to another split, we had another decision to make. We were about to join a section of the old Tokaido Road. When Ieysu Tokugawa unified Japan in the early 17th century, he needed to find a way to bring the independent minded Daimyo [warlords] to heel. Following a path similar to Louis XIV with his nobles, he required each Daimyo to spend a portion of each two years in Edo. Forced to make the 260 mile trek over the mountain trails with their families and retinue, this drained the finances and energies of the Japanese nobility so they would not pose a threat to the Tokugawa. In addition, each Daimyo had to maintain two houses, one at home, and one in Edo.

Thus we had the chance to walk a portion of what the samurai of old had to – sort of like Japan’s Appalachian Trail, but crackling with history as old as the Pilgrims. Since the historic road promised to be a more difficult hike, the group split again, with most of the group taking the low road, and Scott, Patrick, Jae, and myself taking the historic trail with Scott serving as guide. This was a significant climb, again with concrete steps, [molded to look like logs] but quickly up. We passed ancient concrete pillars announcing in Japanese Kanji characters the prefecture borders and town lands. Originally, there were lodging towns that sprang up to service the traveling nobles, but all that has gone except for the occasional Buddhist monastery or Shinto Shrine along the way. As we walked, Scott talked about his experience in the Kobe earthquake, losing half his house and going without running water for 4 weeks. He said a building down his street had collapsed killing 40 inside. He also talked sports, his perception of the US having lived overseas so long, and the unique benefits of living and being retired in Japan.

The scenery and wildlife were spectacular, and I felt very privileged to be able to see God’s beauty in a brand new way. The 15 miles were quite invigorating. We rejoined the low road group at the Monastery, and we split again into the ‘wait for the bus’ group and the ‘hike one more mountain group’. This time, our split included both guides, the three young women, Patrick, Jae, and I. After a huge physical output, we were looking for a food place to celebrate our victory over the mountains. We took a series of trains to Okamoto where Jae and Patrick were hooked on a sushi bar – one where the plates of sushi come by on a conveyor belt like luggage at the airport.

As we entered, we saw that Hiroshi and Lisa were already there – enjoying the post hike feast already. We arranged to sit together and I feasted on food I have never had in my life. I have to say that I would not have expected to like raw fish, but it was spectacular. Everything tastes better after a hike, but I loved the raw tuna, the raw salmon, the blowfish, everything really, I ate my way through 9 plates before all was said and done. A feeling a peace comes over a person after a hike and a big feast – it is ineffable, but satisfying. A great day.

Tim Jekel – History Teacher: Bible Baptist School: Shiremanstown, PA

A Visit to Nara, July 9, 2010

Sharen Pula, The Park School

Our train sped across the basin of Kobe; the skyline punctuated the hillside. Storm clouds rolled across the peaks. The mountains, like sleeping dragons, awoke from their slumber. Puffs of heavenly smoke rose from their nostrils. The day's hunt would soon begin.

Our group sat quietly on the train--perhaps influenced by the hushed tones of the local people or just caught in the morning's reverie. The train stopped, we disembarked and after a short walk found ourselves in front of Kofukuji temple, one of the most ancient Buddhist temples in Japan. Here, in a beautiful 5-storied pagoda during the eleventh and twelfth century when the country was ravaged by civil wars, an army of soldier monks protected this structure from harm. Later in the same century, the Kofukuji temple was attacked and reduced to ashes. With efforts from the best architects and craftsmen the complex was rebuilt.

Our next stop was the Treasure Hall. As we walked through the hall, numerous wood sculptures stood as a silent but strangely eloquent testimony of the past glory of this temple. Behind one of the glassed in cases sat six monks of the Hosso Sect. Although I could not read the Japanese descriptions, their hand positions and expressive facial features seemed to tell a story of their own. One seemed to be a gentle spirit dispensing wisdom and guiding the common people on their journey through life. Another possessed a rather stern look that seemed to demand that others heed his words. Their eyes struck me. Like the icons of Ethiopia and Russia, these obsidian orbs looked deep into the souls of those who passed by.

In an alcove, a twelve hundred year old bronze lantern stood before us. Surprisingly, it seemed untouched by the ravages of time. I found this particularly striking. There are buildings in our own cities that exist no longer than forty years, and here before our very eyes stood this lantern, an erect and proud symbol of a time long, long ago.

Around the corner, was a fine bronze bell cast in 727 CE----the second oldest temple bell. Though rather sparse in decoration, it presented a simple form and elegant proportion. Another case housed 12 Heavenly Generals. They were sculptured in relief on wooden boards. The free representation of movement and remnants of decorative gold leaf made these figures spring to life. Their job---to guard the faithful--a compelling argument for believers. I got to thinking about how similar some aspects of religious practice are---lights, bells, disciples/saints, hand washing, and guardian figures.

It was time for lunch. We had the pleasure of a local culinary dish--Shabu Shabu--sort of a onepot wonder of beef, noodles and veggies. Quite tasty!

We headed for Todai-ji, a temple the Emperor Shomu had built in the 8th century. It is the largest wooden building in the world and symbolizes the inverse in the center of a lotus flower with a thousand pearls. We approached the Great south Gate. Along the way, the deer of Nara, protected animals in these parts since they were considered messengers of the gods, meandered on grassy areas as well as the main promenade. Some were in search of tasty handouts. Others were just curious about the strange two legged creatures that had invaded their space.

Within the walls of the temple reside many statues, among them the Great Buddha, a massive gilded bronze statue 16 meters high. Although it was an amazing experience to stare at the statues within, I found the approaches to the temple equally engaging. Along the walkway was a grassy field leading up to the temple. Pots of lotus flowers made me slow my pace. Peering through the foliage of low hanging branches, I watched as the steady stream of visitors with their umbrellas, floppy brimmed hats and other paraphernalia disappeared and the temple facade rose towards the heavens. Its massiveness set off by the gold horns resting at the highest point on its roof. My mind was quick to imagine life when these temples were symbols of wealth and power. The rain continued. The steady downpour was somewhat refreshing to the skin. As I left Todai-ji, I took one last look over my shoulder. This structure--this place--so steeped in tradition---so awe inspiring.

The group scattered to various corners of Nara--some searching for artifacts, some for good deals, some for food. By dinnertime, conversations about the day's events still peppered the table talk. "What if I had seen these structures when I first traveled abroad instead of Chartres Cathedral? Would I have fallen in love with them as I did the French Cathedrals? No doubt I would have!"

Click an image to zoom with description:
Posted by: Susan Brown
Post date: Saturday, July 10, 2010 - 04:54
Terms: None

Click an image to zoom with description

Big temples require big Buddhas, and today in the ancient Japanese capital city of Nara, we saw not only the largest wooden post and beam structure in the world, but also one of the largest bronze cast Buddhas in the world. The temple of Todaiji and its massive "Daibutsuden" (Great Buddha) were so overwhelming that it is difficult to even remember what we saw before that.
Sacred space in Japan is marked out in some pretty obvious ways-- and in the case of Todaiji temple, you enter through a massive gateway flanked by two fierce deities who would make Godzilla run away and hide under a mountain. Imagine yourself a humble Buddhist acolyte from the hinterlands coming to Todaiji to be ordained as a priest. As the massive Great South Gate looms before you, certainly you would begin to realize that your decision to follow the way of the Buddha must be the right one; for only those with the power of the Truth could possibly construct such a gateway. Yet any lingering doubts that you have would be swept away as you step through the gate threshold and you cast your eyes on the great Todaiji Temple itself. It is one of those structures that is so big that it seems like it is closer than it actually is-- until you walk towards it and it takes twice as long as you expected it to. Now, imagine that you have lit the obligatory incense offering on the way into the main temple and you immediately realize what it feels like to be a lowly toad-- for the Great Buddha, although serene of expression, looms over you. Fear and Trembling, indeed.
To give some sense of scale of the Buddha itself, one of the pillars of the temple building has a small tunnel at its base which is reportedly the same size as the nostril of the statue and which a person can, with a bit of squirming, fit through (Jae and Patrick actually did this, and for doing so will be assured of Englightenment).

But Nara is not only about the grandiose. There are a number of small Shinto shrines that are but a short walk from the Todaiji complex. Whereas the Buddhists must have felt that they had something to prove and therefore built vertically and horizontal behemoths, the Shinto shrines were impressive for their more human-scale. Whereas Todaiji is the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty all wrapped up in one, the Shinto shrines are like the local pub where you would go to feel like you are well known. Less awe, and more ahhhh.

The sacred can inspire by towering heights, but also by touching the comfortable. And on this day, the rain fell steadily on both the large and the small, Shinto and Buddhist, and on all of us witnessing the varieties of Japanese sacrality.

Written by Patrick Hughes
July 9, 2010