Today was my last full day in Kyoto. I took the JR train to the western suburbs of Arashiyama. There you can find the gardens of World Heritage temple Tenryuji. Unfortunately there were too many people there enjoying the beautiful grounds on a sunny Saturday. It was the first time the visitors were noisy, so I left to go to the Bamboo Forest.
The grove is quite large, full of tall mature bamboos on the side of a mountain. Sounds were hushed as we walked through them, with a gentle breeze blowing a gentle lullaby. The area is magical! This visit was recommended by a colleague of mine and rightfully so.
I left busy Arashiyama and rushed back to Kyoto to visit the tiny but lovely Raku museum (no photos allowed). Raku is a family of potters who started doing their own types of wares about 400 years ago. Each piece is hand made and trimmed; they don't use the wheel. Then the pieces are fired one at a time in small kilns. They were originally made to be used in tea ceremonies. The family is still active in the field of pottery.
In the late afternoon I went North to the Daitoku-ji complex of 20 miniature temples of which only 4 are open to the public. One of them, Daisen, has a wonderful zen garden.
Well, it's time for dinner. I will leave Kyoto to go North to Otsu and hope to get online there also and update you about Shigaraki National pottery park.
Until then, Sayanora babies!!
Saturday, December 03, 2005
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