A day at the Temples

The Golden Pavilion reflected in its pond

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The weather here in Kyoto is so Eugene today.  overcast with a weak sun barely visible for a short while then overtaken by the early afternoon.  Unlike so many other historical places I've been Kyoto has it's treasures spread far and wide.  the city is over a million people and at a quick glance you wouldn't think it anything special but then you get to the right spots and it is classic Japanese beauty.  The form of design.  The brilliance of structures relationship to nature.  This town can take a long time to see.  It is like the Rome of Japan.  So many religious structures each one a gem.  There are over 11 UNESCO heritage sites here and I only got to 4 of them today. 

I had to start the day at the Golden Pavilion.  This exquisite temple is covered in gilt.  Glowing golden it is a charmer.  No wonder a besotted monk actually found it so beautiful he destroyed it by setting it afire.  And Calvin Klein thought he knew obsession. 

The dry garden of Ryoakan Temple

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Every one of these sites has the most amazing gardens which are tended by loads of people with brushes sweeping up and tending constantly.  Even in winter they are beautiful but you can tell by the number of azaleas, rhodies and other spring bloomers not to mention the ubiquitous flowering cherry trees it must be heady.  No wonder the Japanese go a little crazy in the Spring and flock to these places.  Spring is an old time euphemism for sex in Japan. 

Slippers on slippers off.  When you go to the temples where they let you walk around you  take off your shoes and don a pair of slippers that they have  a barrel of.  Then if you go to the bathroom while in the temple you slip those slippers off and don the bathroom slippers. 

I went to the Sento tonight.  The Sento is the public bathhouse.  They are all over.  Like the Onsen but not of course hot springs.  This one had these jets in one of the pools that massaged directly on the calf muscles, the feet and the kidneys at once.  The interesting thing is after wandering around the city all day I don't feel grimy.