Our second day in Mainland Japan! We venture off to two well known cities.. Nara and Kyoto of Mainland Japan!
Kofukuji Temple in Nara:
After our playful interaction with the deer we continued to explore the tourist offerings of Nara. After about a minute walk we found ourselves following a group of cute elderly folk in white get ups marching towards a mesmerizing temple called Kofukuji. The temple had was an octagon with 8 points. There’s was the smell of incense in the air and small deer trinkets to be bought. What seemed like monks were writing in people’s notebooks special characters (messages) that they had paid for, unfortunately not being well versed in Japanese writing we can only assume that this was the case. The elderly group we followed began to chant simultaneously with bell ringing as if they were worshiping their beliefs. Amazed and feeling culturally enriched with the sight happening in front of us we stared for awhile and respectfully let the group to continue as we walked away.
1000 Golden Statues In Kyoto:
From Kyoto station we pulled out the GPS and immediately started walking towards the 1000 golden statue temple as we were on a mission to get this done before we leave Kyoto again. 20 minutes later we make it our destination after relishing the refreshing autumn walk in Kyoto. The temple does have entrance fee of 600 yen per person which we were surprised and were under the impression that it was free obviously not the case. Entering the Temple you start to signs saying no cameras or video allowed inside as this was a sacred area for them and video/photography was not appreciated, another surprise to our disappointment but we were already in the temple so turning back would just be a waste. Inside them temple you will be in an enormous room with the 1000 Golden statues that had sign with information about the gods depicted in the statues. It was actually very interesting read about buddhism and hinduism and how they intertwine with one another. After the history lesson inside we walk around the ground and take pictures of the beautful garden the surrounded the building (pictures were OK here).
The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto:
To get to the Golden pavilion we opted to take the bus a challenge we have never taken on before but after reading signs and repeatedly checking the GPS routes it seem like it shouldn’t be too hard. Even as the bus approach the bus stop we were still a bit uneasy. Fortunately we make it our destination with the help of an english speaking voice system on the bus announcing that this was the stop for the Golden Pavilion. From the bus stop it is about a 10 minute walk to the Pavilion again waking didn’t really mind us as Kyoto was in autumn season and the environment was just fascinating with red and yellow leaves all over. Into the Golden Pavilion you are required to pay Y600 per person. You don’t actually go into the pavilion but walk around its grounds which is like a big park. Our experience was very satisfying as the Pavilion seemed to be in its best image at the time of day we were there. The sun was about to set and was shining directly onto the golden building make it shine and glimmer as it stupefied ongoers with its gleam and luster definitely one of the best images we saw on our trip.
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