There and Back Again

Our first full day in Kyoto was exactly what I said. It was a full day. We walked across the street to scale the stairs/escalators to the top of Kyoto station. While everyone was enjoying the view of the city from atop the viewing deck, I was marveling at the site of one of the most modern pieces of architecture in Japan. I loved the way the architect used steel and glass to show how far Kyoto has come from the days of wood and shingles. Andy also pointed out how the escalators formed what looked like mountains and the main floor was a valley, just like how the city of Kyoto is surrounded by the mountains. Although I could imagine how far the city of Kyoto has changed over time, I was going to find out just how far they have come.

The first temple we visited was the famous Toji Temple. According to Eyewitness Travel: Japan, "Toji's magnificent five-story pagoda...[is] the tallest wooden structure in Japan." This was a stark contrast to what I just saw an hour earlier. Although both structures were different in many ways, I noticed how intricate both structures were. The attention to detail in the truss formation of Toji Temple is essential to its design and the same exact comment can also be made to the describe the truss formation of Kyoto Station. For many people who appreciate modern architecture, Kyoto station could be a symbol of Kyoto. For people who appreciate tradition and history, Toji Temple is their symbol of the city. Many of the brochures I saw of Kyoto showed this temple in a silhouette in front of a setting sun. Something that the brochures did not prepare me for were the wooden carvings of Buddhas. The wooden statues were as tall as a two-story building and were carved from one solid block of wood. As I walked through the lecture hall, I started to think to myself what kind of person would have that much dedication, that much passion, to carve something as intricate as this Buddha and the others surrounding it. I learned, however, that this was the where the foundation of the city's Buddhist beliefs began. Eyewitness Travel: Japan states "[This used to be] the main headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. The sect's esoteric rituals relied heavily on mandalas."
Another thing that separated this temple from the others we visited was the shear beauty of the gardens. In the middle of the summer season, the trees were still green and lush. Although there were no cherry blossoms blooming from the largest cherry blossom tree in Kyoto, it was still a beautiful sight. As a photographer, I really enjoyed how there was no way I could make a bad photograph. The way that the landscape was designed, gave the visitor a view of the temple from nearly every point of the garden.

Kyoto Station highlighted modern architecture, while Toji Temple is known for its height. Nijo Castle is known, on the other hand, for its noise. I asked myself the same question you're probably asking yourself now. Noise? How is noise an architectural aspect? According to Eyewitness Travel: Japan "the nightingale floors were carefully laid so that the cramps and nails below the floorboards would rub together and squeak gently when disturbed." I didn't believe it at first, but as soon as I stepped onto the wood floors with my socks, I immediately heard the squeaks. It's called nightingale floors because the squeaks it makes sound a little like a nightingale. What impressed me even more was the fact that there were no light bulbs in the whole castle. The use of paper on the sliding doors let enough light into the rooms to keep the whole place well lit. Honestly, I didn't even notice it until the end of the tour.


A temple that highlights its own architecture is Kinkaku-Ji, also known as The Golden Temple. As I walked through the gates, showing the guard my paper ticket, I tried to imagine what the crazed monk was thinking when he decided to burn down the original temple. When I finally saw the temple, I had to stop to take it in. A feeling came over me that can only be inspired by something beautiful. As I took in the sight, I thought of that monk and couldn't help but think, this would look very beautiful when engulfed by a wall of fire. I don't know what came over me, but I immediately stopped thinking about it to take this photo.

The final temple of the day was definitely the best. Each attraction we visited today all had their own unique traits. However, what summed it all up was Ryoanji Temple. The architectural aspect of this place was not it's height nor was it its walls. The main attraction of Ryoanji is rocks. That's right...rocks. As I sat on the meditation steps, I thought about what I saw today. Each large rock started to take the shapes of the sites we visited today. I felt like I traveled through time. We started in the future with Kyoto Station and went back in time to the days when Toji Temple, Nijo Castle, and Kinkaku Ji were built. When I returned from my time travels to present day Japan, I found myself sitting on the same steps I left, what felt like, a hundred years ago. Jayson reminded me that the temple was closing in a few minutes. Was I sitting there that long? I lost track of time. Maybe that's what Zen Buddhism is supposed to do. Everyone has a different experience at that temple. Whatever that experience is, I believe, the temple forces you to meditate. As I walked down the steps to the pond that fronted the temple, I felt refreshed and ready for a new day.