The Kyoto Protocol

On a recent trip to Kyoto I was forced to respect the protocol. That is, if you go to Kyoto you must embark on an intense tour of temples, shrines, castles and imperial palaces.

This was my third time in Kyoto. On my second trip back in 2003, I disappointed zoomz (my wife) by abandoning her well prepared temple tour itinerary in lieu of a pub crawl of every British and Irish drinking establishment I could find.

This time around, in an effort to maintain peace time relations with zoomz, I submitted to the Kyoto Protocol. Following are a few highlights.

Kinkaku-ji (The Golden Pavilion Temple)

Originally built in 1397 as a retirement villa for the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the Golden Pavilion Temple is set in a Japanese strolling garden on the edge of the Mirror Pond. The original structure was burnt down by some rogue, suicidal monk in 1950. The present day structure was built in 1955.

Ginkaku-ji (The Silver Pavilion Temple)

Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the grandson of the dude who built the Golden Pavilion Temple, kick-started the idea for the Silver Pavilion Temple back in 1460 but construction didn’t commence until 1482. It’s affectionately known as the Silver Pavilion Temple because apparently the original plan was to cover the exterior with silver foil.

The sand garden of Ginkaku-ji is pretty tranquil. The well-crafted pile of sand in the middle is supposedly meant to represent Mount Fuji. On the day that we were there, the main temple structure was undergoing some repairs and was covered in scaffolding so the first image below is courtesy of Wikipedia.

Kiyomizu-dera

The temple dates back to 798, and its present buildings were constructed in 1633. Impressively, not one nail was used in the whole temple! Kiyomizu means clear water, or pure water.

The verandah off of the main hall has an impressive view of Kyoto. The expression “to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu” is the Japanese equivalent of the English expression “to take the plunge”. Meaning, if you were to jump from the stage and survive the 13 metre fall, your wish would be granted.

Chion-in

The original temple was built in 1234. Numerous buildings in the complex were burnt down in 1633, but were entirely rebuilt by the third Tokugawa Shogun Iemitsu with the palatial structures that stand today.

A large stone stairway called ‘otokozaka’ leads to the temple’s main precinct. The ‘otokozaka’ was used in the 2003 film The Last Samurai in a scene where the character played by Tom Cruise climbs the stairs en route to a meeting with the emperor.

Yasaka Shrine

Built originally in 656 it is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District once called Gion Shrine.

1. Ōsaka Castle
2. Tsūtenkaku
3. Umeda Sky Building
4. Unforgiving Fuji
5. Universal Studios Japan