It’s gotten very warm again, about 60 degrees F, just amazing for December. I was warm all day yesterday; today I wore lighter clothing. I’m not complaining, but it is weird. This morning I went back to the temple I didn’t want to climb to yesterday. Going to these places requires a large measure of faith. You get off the bus at the proper stop, easy enough. Sometimes there is some signage, but sometimes you just start down a narrow street and hope it’s the right one, as I did today, and found it without much trouble. Alas, it was not open to the public. Too bad; it was one of the places Jacqueline recommended to me for great trees.
The temple I couldn't get into
Having climbed to what was evidently the foot of Mt. Hiei, I wasn’t willing to go back down with seeing something. Consulting my map, I found Honen-in Temple nearby, at any rate neither up or down. I loved this temple. No special garden, but wonderful trees and relative solitude. That’s really all I ask.
Entry path
The trees were so tall I couldn't get the entire tree in my photos
Another climb
Special sand paintings
Notice that leaf directing the water
Amazing tree roots
This was behind a pagoda-like sculpture. Any ideas on what it may signify?
I got back on the bus and went to the stop for Shisendo Temple. After another one of those walks on faith I found it. This was a special garden, very neat and precise, part of which, a mostly dry garden, you could sit and contemplate from one of the buildings and a large part to stroll through.
Contemplating the garden from within the building.
The Head Gardener, I think.
After the leaves fall they still look good on the ground.
Temple kitchen
Nearby was Enkoji with a nice garden but not as neatly manicured as Shisendo. These gardens just amaze me with the variety of their shapes. How many ways can you place plants, water, sand, gravel, and rocks? There seems to be an infinite variety.
The garden is famous for having this statue. It's very small.
I climbed some stairs to find this cemetery surrounded by mountains.
I wanted to see one more temple, Nanzen-ji, but this one I failed to find, got tired of walking and went back to the hotel. I may never get to there. This is the second time I haven’t found it. I’m beginning to wonder if it really exists.
Perhaps, it’s just a myth that keeps leading you to beautiful spots you may have otherwise missed.
Again I am mesmerized by your images. Today the bamboo rising to the heavens, the statue, I could expound endlessly and will show these pictures to G when he gets home. The manmade balance: Rocks that look like bushes, bushes that look like rocks, rocks that look like bamboo……..or are stacked just as items to meditate upon. I’ll come back often to these pictures.
Wow…this is really amazing, Ruthe….the images are just breathtaking and I bet it is really nice to be far away from the troubles here…your photo’s really put all of this stuff in its proper place….this too shall pass…