July 17, 2011

Kibune (Kifune ) is relaxing and cool place to visit for summer in Kyoto

Kibune is one of resort place in Kyoto especially summer and autumn.
People would like to escape from high humidity levels in Kyoto city in summer and
enjoy to see red leaves in autumn.
Kibune is about 30 minutes by train up to the north mountains and people say that
Kibune village is about 5-10 centigrade degrees cooler than downtown.
Not only these reasons, there are some valuable attractions to visit here.

River restaurants which are located right above the cool river is very unique style dining.
These restaurant are well know as wonderful meal of river fish and other delicacies
while sitting atop of river surrounding by the beauty of nature.
Though evening meals can be quite expensieve but lunches are reasonable priced.

The other attraction is Kifune-jinja Shrine
Kifune-jinja Shrine is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Kyoto and home to the God of Rain.
After a great flood had done much damage to the capital, this shrine have been in use for
centuries as a place to ask the rain to either halt the rains or bring on the rain.
Over the history, this shrine often did a ritual for rain.

Kifune-jinja Shrine is also famous for the benefit for love.
Izumi Shikibu, a female poet in the 10th – 11th century composed a haunting and
poem here and prayed to regain the love of her husband.
Today, many visitors come to pray for love.

Not only these attractions, you might feel mystic and rustic atmosphere here old shrine.
Two giant ceders, 600 and 700 year old welcomes us at the entrance and
we see statues of horses by the building
We might to try water fortune telling attracts.
We buy a sheet of paper and put it on the spring on the site.
Letters emerge and tell our fortune.
Admission free.

Eizan railway takes you to Kibune in about 30 minutes from Demachiyanagi station.
staff at http://www.yado-web.com/ will check timetable.
Please ask staff freely.

River restaurants.




Kifune-jinja Shrine



Giant ceders.




July 14, 2011

What amazing moss garden at Saiho-ji Kyoto

Saiho-ji is called Koke-dera since Saiho-ji is famous for its moss.
Moss means Koke in Japanese.
Prior application must in advance at least one week ahead to visit here and
Admission fee is 3,000 yen ( approximately 37 US dollars ), this is the highest in Kyoto and this is one of famous tour attractions. Saiho-ji is well known its beautiful moss.

I visited Saiho-ji in early July.
I expected less 100 people in a day tour but a few hundreds people were already there contrary to my expectations.
Inside the temple, we are guided to the main building and we practice sutra before entering their garden. It was the first experience for me to practice sutra at temple. No need to make up sutra. We can stop it but we could write name along with a wish on the left side of paper and place it. For me, it took 30 minutes to finish sutra, and my legs went to sleep while I sit on tatami in the proper way in a small space. I could not move for a while even I wish to stand up though.

After valuable experience, I finally could enter the garden.
Many varieties of moss are spread on the ground and it looks like cloud over the sky.
I had been heard that it is not easy to take care of moss nowadays since of global warming
but we can enjoy to see the beauty of moss here. Moss spread here and there even to the bridge.
That's amazing. People say that there are 120 different kinds of moss and I can not find difference though I can see some kinds of moss.
Garden is not huge so 30 minutes is enough to look around.

Even though it is not easy to enter Saiho-ji, it is worth to visit.

staff at http://www.yado-web.com/ will reserve a tour at Saiho-ji for a guest at http://www.yado-web.com/ in advance.
Please ask staff freely.

Admitted card.
Saihō-ji was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".










On the way to get Saiho-ji.



Suzumusi-dera.
This temple locate near Saiho-ji

July 8, 2011

Fun to explore in Gion district

There are traditional streets at Gion area in Kyoto.
You still can see beautiful and precious houses.
Geisha and Maiko walk at this street at night.

Posted by Akiko at http://teaceremonyen.com/





July 3, 2011

Is zazen meditation make us pure spirit ? in Kyoto

Zazen is available at some temples in Kyoto.
I tried zazen in Ryosokuin located in Gion district this time.
Price is 1,000 yen
Time : one hour

Zazen starts at 8:30am and a chief priest explain the position of the body in the beginning
to stable our legs to the ground and upper body should be relax.
Then we work on ourselves by counting the deep breath to keep our mind from wandering.
I thought it seems yoga.
If we think something during meditation, we apply ourselves to chief priest by bowing to beat our shoulder both right and left.
This is a big difference between Yoga and zazen. We are not beaten in Yoga.
There is a short recess in 25 minutes session but we are not allowed to talk with somebody.
25 minutes must be hard for beginner.
My both legs have pain and it was vert difficult to keep my mind without any thinking in 25 minutes but chief priest said everybody can do this by training.
I thought meditation will make our mind strongly and we need sometimes to clean our mind like a room cleaning in our busy life.
I also thought we might need zazen meditation to keep pure and high mind in many various unexpected things happening going on in our world.
It was a great relief for me to hear by a chief priest that human being is also one of nature.
So naturally we will be changed day by day. We are not the same one tomorrow.
We can be changed in any situation by the way of thinking.
I recommend zazen meditation all people in the world then we can be strong in any unexpected things.

Unfortunately, a chief priest talks in Japanese only.
If this is not problem, staff at http://www.yado-web.com/ will check zazen schedule for a guest at http://www.yado-web.com/ and book it in advance. Please ask staff freely.

We are able to enjoy beautiful garden in Ryosokuin and luckly I enjoyed the flowers in full booming.







Posted by staff at http://www.yado-web.com/