Hi everyone! This is a travel diary from my spring travel to Japan. After Tokyo, I went and visited some sites in Kyoto. Arashiyama is where the famous Bamboo Grove is located. It was a very calm area where you are surrounded by striking natural beauty. I’d recommend exploring the Zen garden at Tenryu-ji Temple alongside your visit to the grove.
I’ll be sharing more videos from my travels in Japan, Europe, and Southern Africa. Hope you enjoy. Please like and subscribe if you’re interested in more. Thank you for watching! ~Vi
Hi everyone After Tokyo, I went to spend some time in Kyoto One of the first places I visited was the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Tenryu-ji Temple is located next to the grove and there are lovely gardens leading up to the temple It was raining lightly throughout the day
But that did not stop people from coming to visit Even under grey skies, the cherry blossoms were still pretty I was happy to be able to move slowly through the temple grounds Solo travel allows you to explore places at your own pace There is something meditative about looking at falling rain
Itβs very relaxing You will see a lot of people wearing traditional kimono The colourful designs come out nicely against the natural background There were a wide variety of plants in the gardens All at different stages of blooming More rain… More ripples… More relaxing… Tenryu-ji Temple allows visitors to come and sit inside
Looking at the pretty pond across from it There is a little stream leading up to it These natural bamboo rails complement it very nicely And so do the lovely koi fish! They were like an old couple taking a leisurely stroll The koi fish were very large and had striking patterns and colours
One of them seemed to be doing an elaborate dance It was interesting to think that this was their home And we were just onlookers They have a very pretty home The day progressed slowly, and I was happy with the slow pace I found this structure to be hauntingly beautiful These places are important…
Where people can come and marvel and reflect Old spaces like this… give the sense of the many others that have been there before you And you no longer feel alone in your contemplation There is comfort in collective reflection… in collective awe… There were many cherry blossoms in full bloom
Itβs fascinating to see the pristine beauty of cherry blossoms next to rugged exteriors It offers a unique juxtaposition of the aged and the ephemeral the seemingly flawless and the outwardly flawed Combining to form a version of wabi-sabiβflawed beauty From the temple, I then walked to the bamboo grove
You hear a lot of birds chirping as you enter And you have the feeling of entering an enclosed world Looking at the thousands of towering trees around you… it is easy to feel it again… the mystery… the awe… the sense that there is something bigger than you something great…
That you are also a part of I love this transition period from day to night When the night lights are turned on Creating a unique ambiance with the remaining daylight There is a railway track at the end of the grove So you go from the sound of birds chirping
To the sounds of an approaching train and the sound of the train hurtling down the track… Then you return to the sound of birds again It seems to all be about transition and balance The rugged and the beautifulβ¦ The aged and the short-lived… The calm and the chaotic… Night and dayβ¦
Light and darkβ¦ Stillness and movementβ¦ Rain… no rain Neither of these is inherently bad only in excess can they be a problem But they are all necessary They all enable balance Kyoto at night is a wonder to behold All the lights are muted and warm So even though youβve entered night
Thereβs a warmth and a comfort you feel These were some of my random musings from a rainy day in Arashiyama.