Kyōto - Arashiyama
11 March 2010
One other favorite of mine is the Arashiyama area in the west side of Kyōto ([wiki]). The hills there are nice, and it has a bit more country-side feeling. There are many nice temples, and some have very beautiful gardens. We rented bicycles just behind the Saga-Arasshiyama station for only 1000yen a day. Ok, they were a bit low for our long legs and no gear or so, but it is better than walking all the way, and you can see more in the same time.
First (and main) stop is the Tenryū-ji. It is one of the many temples in Kyoto on the UNESCO world heritage list, and it has a really nice garden.
One of the old corner-ridge-tiles of the temple roof.
Rakushisya (落柿舎) is a traditional house where Kyorai Mukai --one of the disciples of the famous haiku poet Bashō-- used to live. This place is called "The Hut of Fallen Persimmons" after a story Kyorai wrote on a salesman offering him money in advance for all persimmons of the 40 trees in the garden. That night, a typhoon struck and all persimmons fell on the ground (such a bad luck for the salesman), but Kyorai decided to give back the money. Bashō stayed here from April until May 1691. See for more information see here or here [JP wiki].
[HDR]
[HDR]
The Adashino Nenbutsu-ji is actually a kind of graveyard. The 8000 little buddhist statues used to be scattered over the neighborhood and represent unknown dead people. Around 1900 the statues were collected and put together on this temple ground.
A path through a bamboo grove leads to an actual graveyard uphill.
Twilight over Kyōto
First (and main) stop is the Tenryū-ji. It is one of the many temples in Kyoto on the UNESCO world heritage list, and it has a really nice garden.
One of the old corner-ridge-tiles of the temple roof.
Rakushisya (落柿舎) is a traditional house where Kyorai Mukai --one of the disciples of the famous haiku poet Bashō-- used to live. This place is called "The Hut of Fallen Persimmons" after a story Kyorai wrote on a salesman offering him money in advance for all persimmons of the 40 trees in the garden. That night, a typhoon struck and all persimmons fell on the ground (such a bad luck for the salesman), but Kyorai decided to give back the money. Bashō stayed here from April until May 1691. See for more information see here or here [JP wiki].
[HDR]
[HDR]
The Adashino Nenbutsu-ji is actually a kind of graveyard. The 8000 little buddhist statues used to be scattered over the neighborhood and represent unknown dead people. Around 1900 the statues were collected and put together on this temple ground.
A path through a bamboo grove leads to an actual graveyard uphill.
Twilight over Kyōto
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