After a free day full of adventure, it was back with the tour group. yay. feel my excitement.
After a hasty breakfast of rice, eggs, fish, and Natto, we left in a very disorienting manner to head to Kinkaku-ji (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion). Not really knowing what to expect, I was quite surprised to see a literally golden pavilion as I made my way around the tour path.
Things I Know About the Golden Pavilion:
1) It was burned down by a monk in 1950.
2) It was rebuilt in 1955.
3) In 1984 a new layer of gold leaf and lacquer was added to maintain its image.
They say that the beauty of the pavilion is similar to that of the cherry blossom in that it is temporal. The Japanese appreciate the cherry blossoms because of how quickly they bloom and scatter; they are beautiful because they don’t last too long. The Golden Pavilion is supposed to be best enjoyed in its reflection on the water. If wind disturbs the water, if a leaf falls in it, if a mosquito takes a shit in it, the image becomes distorted and blurry. But, if the water is completely still, the reflection is supposed to evoke an incomparable sense of spirituality and beauty.
Because I went on a windy day, I mostly wondered about things elsewhere. I thought “What if the Greeks, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, and British didn’t ever make it to Egypt?” Maybe the pyramids would still be the shining spectacle they once were. Maybe the golden legacy of Africa would still be in Africa instead of the British museum. Maybe I’d be in Egypt studying abroad instead of Japan (Excuse me for my capri pants, coffee shop, open mic night, “brothas and sistas” moment).
Anyway, the was still a lot more scenery to enjoy around the temple. I always found water to be beautiful (maybe its the taoist in me) and the rest of the area didn’t disappoint.
Anyway, I get my religious thing on and say some prayers for the people closest to me. Then I get my tourist thing on and get some souvenirs for the people closest to me. Then I head to Ryoan-Ji (Temple of the Peaceful Dragon… no bullshit) to check out the rock garden.
Does anybody remember those “Zen Gardens” they used to sell at Linens and Things. They kept them next to the candles. I wish that store was still open. I remember every time I went in there as a kid, my mom would say that she wanted one of those Zen Gardens. One year, I saved up some money to get it for her for Christmas. It still remains in its box. No sand has been raked, no rocks have been placed, and no zen has been gardened. I digress…. Or do I? Yes I do.
Those little re-gift fodders were appropriated from something much more spiritual and real than I could have comprehended as a child. They were appropriated from places like this:
I know far too little about Zen Buddhism to try to explain the meaning of this place, all I know is that I felt something when I was here. I imagine its what Christians feel when they look at pictures of white Jesus or how coons feel when they look at malt liquor. It was powerful.
While this wasn’t the end of my last day in Kyoto, it was when my camera battery died. Because I don’t want to be (too much of) a dick and try to tell you about shit that I can’t show you (Then I saw some monkeys and a bridge and a train and some shit. SHIT WAS LIKE… Dope yo!), I’ll just say that I took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo and slept for the entire next day (What literature class?). Here I am in Miyajima:
