Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Tenryu-ji Temple in Kyoto

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Tenryu-ji Temple is on the outskirts of Kyoto in the Arashiyama area. On our second full day in Kyoto we hopped on a city bus and rode 45 minutes to get here. The complex is a sprawling set of buildings with plenty of tatami mats and and sliding doors.

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It was very quiet here but maybe only because we beat the throngs of tourists who probably arrived on their tour buses moments after we left.

 

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Here is the koi (carp) pond complete with mountains in the background.

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It probably gets chilly in here in the winter with paper sliding doors.

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The level of “wa” was very high. In our redecorating of our bedroom we are seeking out plenty of wa.

 

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You are probably feeling calmer while looking at these photos.

 

 

 

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They even rake the stones in peaceful, calming patterns.

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The weather? Hot and humid every day.

 

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Then we walked into the adjacent bamboo grove where we saw more and more tourists. There were some Americans being loud and doing the totally cliché “let’s set our I-phones to the timer and then leap in the air like a bunch of sophomores” thing. Please.

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This might be a selfie, also known as a self portrait. Bamboo grows fast and well in Japan. I was wondering why they don’t just plant more bamboo groves for the tourists—a bamboo grove in every town in Japan.

 

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To cap off the morning we ate a simple lunch of beef and vegetables over rice with a side of salad and miso soup.

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