Kyoto Round-Up One: Temples and Tourism

Sooo... While Colleen was taking a break from classes and my computer was taking a break from constantly crashing, we made our way to Kyoto. We spent three days there in the middle of the week and I'm glad it worked out that way. The tourism industry is doing quite well in Kyoto and based on our experience, I'm afraid of what the weekends look like. The first day (Tuesday) our only real goal was to visit the famous Kiyomizu Shrine and we accomplished it, but soon realized that tourism and temples aren't always the best mix. The place was overwhelmed by everyone from international visitors to school groups and it was hard to find the solace and comfort places like that are supposed to bring. We did find a small stone path and followed it away from the group and down into a mossy grove which brought back a little of the majesty and we exited via an enormous hillside graveyard (eerie how tombstones and skyscrapers blend so easily) instead of the usual route, the only Gaijin in sight.

Wednesday brought a breath of fresh Temple air through with a trip (on rented bicycles!) to Ninna-ji near the hostel we were staying at. Maybe it's because there is still a functioning Buddhist school there or maybe because we showed up at 8:30AM, but either way Colleen and I agreed that it was hands down the best of the temples, shrines, and castle we visited. You weren't given free reign of the place because of the school, but besides the parts that the school was using, there was no guided rope path or anything else telling you were to go or not go. It was quite refreshing. Unfortunately nearby Ryoan-ji brought the tourist tide back. Ryoan-ji houses a world famous rock garden which brought in a busload of pretty obnoxious Eastern Europeans making it hard to even see the garden, let alone take it in. Again though, a quick trip around the premises revealed several interesting, and less overrun sights around the temple.

It's not that the tourism is all bad. Obviously busloads of people paying three to six dollars each (depending on which temple) is helping the Buddhists and Shintos financially, but seeing how utterly disrepectful - either intentionally or naively - many of them were was saddening. And there were at least a number, like us, doing their best not be a pain. At Kiyomizu some visitors were actually praying, lighting candles and striking the giant prayer bowl and it was refreshing to see how they could carry on and not be distracted by everyone around. I wish I had that level of patience.

Before our trip I read about a Temple that makes you write a letter one week in advance of your visiting. Then they send you a postcard telling you exactly what time to show up. Then when you arrive, you are required to do 90 minutes of Buddhist exercises/chants (after paying the admission fee) and then you are given a 90-minute tour. When I first read that I thought it was a total crock, but now it makes so much sense.

A less-pensive, more-fun post on the rest of our trip (COMPLETE WITH LIVE MONKEYS!!!) coming soon.