A short train ride out of the fast pace Kyoto on the Keihan train, is the small town of Uji. Uji seems almost untouched by tourists and left behind by the high tech boom seen throughout Japan. In other words Uji is a far cry from Tokyo (I left my camera on a table at a bakery. When I came back 30 minutes later it was still there).
Byodo-in is the main attraction that draws tourists to this peaceful town. Head towards the river; the train station is about a 10 minute walk to the temple. The Buddhist temple dates back to 988 during the Heian period. The most famous building is the Phoenix Hall, which is the only original building on the grounds. The Phoenix building is now a museum, which houses several images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, as well as statues of Phoenixes. At the end of the museum tour there is a small gift shop selling various extremely over priced items. Although the museum isn’t great unless you are looking for great, historical statues, however what makes it note worthy is the fact that that the UNESCO has listed it as a World Heritage Site and the grounds are beautiful. Lilly pad covered ponds and beautifully manicured trees. Entrance to the temple is very cheap only about 300 yen.
Among its other claims to fame is the tea that the town produces. They were one of the first cities in Japan to have a tea plantation and it still is evident to this day. Every shop, restaurant, and bakery that I stopped by had tea related items to offer. Not being someone who likes tea, especially green tea, I begrudgingly tied green tea ice cream after my friend talked me into it. I was blown away by the flavor. Unlike American food that almost blows you away with artificial flavor that is so processed the natural flavor is lost, Japanese food is the complete opposite. The green tea ice cream had a light taste of tea that was enough to satisfy, but not so over powering that I felt like I took in a years worth of preservatives or sugar.
I finished the day with a stroll down the Uji-gawa river. The path along the river is lined with lanterns that offer light as the day comes to an end. From here there are beautiful views of the not only the river but small fishing boats that took me out of the 20th century and took me back in time to when the feudal system ruled, shoguns were in charge, and Zen was being introduced to the country. To help this feeling continue, a short walk away a stone bridge, the oldest of its kind in Japan. The walk ended when we passed the Byodo temple on our way back to find the main road leading to the train station. Inside the gates of the temple were monks chanting.