Kyoto Journals

Kyoto in Seventeen Syllables

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A May 2005 trip to Kyoto by Idler

Temple Lanterns, Yasaka Shrine Photo - Kyoto, Japan

Quote: A haiku exploration of Japan's most atmospheric city.

34 Photos

Kyoto in Seventeen Syllables

Overview

Quote:

Kyoto, it is said, embodies the spirit of Japan. Certainly, it is acclaimed as having the richest heritage. The statistics alone are impressive: almost two thousand Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, twenty percent of Japan’s official National Treasures, and seventeen UNESCO World Heritage sites. It boggles the mind. How can a visitor deal with such cultural largesse? I would say: by reducing it to its poetic essence. In the span of seventeen syllables, a haiku poem expresses the inexpressible. More than mere words, haiku is a way of experiencing the world: openly, attentively, receptively. It encourages us to pay attention, to make unorthodox connections, and to tolerate the...Read More

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Rakushisha - The hut of the fallen persimmons

Attraction

Quote:

In my hut this spring, There is nothing – There is everything! Yamaguchi Sodō (1642-1716)In Saga, a northwestern suburb of Kyoto, haiku enthusiasts make pilgrimages to Rakushisha, "The Hut of the Fallen Persimmons." This unpretentious thatched hut was the home of Mukai Kyorai (1651-1704), one of ten disciples of Matsuo Bashō, the legendary poet. While Kyorai’s original cottage fell into ruin after his death, devotees of Bashō reconstructed the cottage, and it is this modest dwelling that one can visit today. During Bashō’s day, Arashiyama was a remote mountainside area of pastoral charm. The haiku master visited Kyorai’s cot...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 5, 2007

Rakushisha - The hut of the fallen persimmons
20 Hinomyojin-cho Ogurayama
Kyoto, Japan
+81 (75) 881-1953

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Ryōan-ji - Garden stones

Attraction | "Ryōan-ji - Garden stones"

Quote:

One of the most celebrated sights in Kyoto is confined to an area of a mere 30 x 78 feet. It consists of 15 rocks, white gravel, and some bits of moss. I am speaking, of course, of the famous 15th century karesansui (dry landscape garden) at Ryōan-ji, the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon.Harold Stewart, in his book of seasonal poems and essays, By the Walls of Old Kyoto, devotes 32 densely written pages to a discussion of "The Metaphysics of the Stone Garden of Ryōan-ji," expounding at length upon the different interpretations of the famous garden and its spiritual significance. These include (but are not limited to) the stones representing islands and the raked pebbles wave...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 6, 2007

Ryōan-ji - Garden stones
13 Goryonoshita-cho Ryoanji Ukyo-ku , Kyoto , 616-
Kyoto

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Fushimi Inari -- Spring rain

Story/Tip

Quote:

Little shrine with rice cakes, of course... spring rain Kobayashi Issa, 1818In the Shinto religion, powerful spirits or kami abide in a multitude of natural objects such as mountains, waterfalls, and even exceptional people. There are innumerable kami, but the most important have shrines devoted to them, where people pay their respects and make offerings. One such kami is Inari, the deity of the rice harvest and (by extension) success and prosperity. As you can imagine, Inari is quite a popular figure, and about a third of Shinto shrines are devoted to him/her. (I equivocate as Inari is regarded as both male and female.) ...Read More

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Gio-ji

Story/Tip

Quote:

Often when I return from a journey, it’s not the well-known places or famous sights that I recall most vividly, but some little-known spot that I came across quite by chance. And so it is with Gio-ji. I hadn’t planned to go there, but perhaps, reflecting back, it was simply meant to be.In Sagano, a western district of Kyoto, there is a much-celebrated bamboo forest, and it was while exploring this that I came across Gio-ji. I was instantly enchanted by the setting. A path led to a simple thatched temple set in a lush garden of moss, ferns, and slender trees. By this time, I’d seen at least a dozen elaborate temples and shrines in Kyoto, and truth to tell, I’d become a bit jaded, but someth...Read More

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Adashino Nembutsu-ji -

Story/Tip

Quote:

Late one afternoon I make my away to Adashino Nembutsu-ji, the famous temple and cemetery on the outskirts of Kyoto. Along the way I ponder just what draws me to these places beyond mere historical and architectural interest. Is it the sheer novelty of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, or is there some underlying principle that I find appealing? The key, I think, is rooted in mono no aware, a sensibility that is uniquely Japanese. Without going into a prolonged discourse, the simplest definition would be a keen appreciation of the vulnerability of life and the transitory nature of all things, yet at the same time a pleasurable sadness that arises from cherishing brief moments...Read More

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Hirota Guest House

Hotel | "Hirota's Guesthouse"

Quote:

I had dreamt of staying in a traditional ryokan in Kyoto, those legendary refined inns, but when researching them I was horrified at the prices quoted. I set my sights instead on the "next best thing," namely a minshuku, the Japanese equivalent of a bed and breakfast. Similar to a ryokan, though not as upscale, guests at a minshuku stay in a Japanese-style room with tatami matting and a futon to sleep on. The appeal of Hirota’s was its central location, reasonable price, and above all its proprietor, Mrs. Hirota, a former interpreter who speaks perfect English. Upon my arrival I was greeted by Hirota-san, who ushered me into a lovely downstairs room and serv...Read More

I had dreamt of staying in a traditional ryokan in Kyoto, those legendary refined inns, but when researching them I was horrified at the prices quoted. I set my sights instead on the "next best thing," namely a minshuku, the Japanese equivalent of a bed and breakfast. Similar to a ryokan, though not as upscale, guests at a minshuku stay in a Japanese-style room with tatami matting and a futon to sleep on.

The appeal of Hirota’s was its central location, reasonable price, and above all its proprietor, Mrs. Hirota, a former interpreter who speaks perfect English. Upon my arrival I was greeted by Hirota-san, who ushered me into a lovely downstairs room and served me green tea and cookies. Relaxing Japanese music played softly on the stereo as we chatted and made small talk, with my hostess full of information and recommendations of where to go in Kyoto. I’d been in the city for a week already, staying with my husband in a hotel where he had a conference, but now with the conference over and my husband gone, having some guidance in my last few days was welcome.

My room overlooked the pleasant courtyard garden and was simply furnished with a small TV, futon, and low table and floor pillow. One concern I’d had was that I’d feel a lack of privacy with a sliding screen door rather than solid door, but I found the other guests’ conversations, while faintly audible, not to be intrusive. I was instructed in the art of "bathroom slippers" and other household matters, such as the location and operation of the main bath downstairs, and I was also pleased to learn that there were bicycles to rent and a traditional breakfast served (for an additional ¥1050 fee).

This breakfast was the highlight of my stay at Hirota’s. Hirota-san prepared numerous small dishes, including cold salmon, miso soup, little fermented beans that I decided were an acquired taste, pickles, rice, seaweed, seasoned spinach, tofu, and tea. It was, as she explained, much larger than the typical Japanese breakfast, but it gave me a good idea of the range of breakfast foods in Japan. I also enjoyed the morning views of the small garden, and while there were no flowers in bloom, a famous haiku by Bashō came to mind:

I am one
who eats his breakfast
gazing at the morning glories.

One morning I had breakfast with two couples – one from New Jersey and another from Montreal. This was the occasion of an unforgettable moment of my stay – observing Hirota-san’s look of horror as the fellow from Montreal drenched his carefully prepared and delicately seasoned breakfast in shoyu sauce. He was impervious.

I could only suppress a laugh and wonder how this would have gone over at one of Kyoto’s ultra refined ryokans.

After three days, my bill came to a modest ¥22250. I left Hirota-san’s a complete minshuku convert. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 9, 2007

Hirota Guest House
665 Seimei-cho
Kyoto, Japan
075/221-2474

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Seiginin

Restaurant

Kyoyo-chi (mirror-shaped pond) at Ryoan-ji Photo - Kyoto, Japan

Quote:

Laying down chopsticks enough I’m grateful. Santoka (1882-1940)Kyoto is famed for its delicate cuisine (ryori), particularly the sophisticated kaiseki cuisine that evolved from the formal Japanese tea ceremony. Unfortunately, true kaiseki ryori is horrendously expensive, but there is a way to experience something similar, and that is to seek out the vegetarian food eaten by Buddhist monks in Kyoto’s Zen temples—the very cuisine that gave rise to the elaborate kaiseki ritual. This type of fare, shojin ryori, is simpler, but is prepared with great care, using only fresh seasonal vegetables. It was a little past 1...Read More

Laying down chopsticks
enough
I’m grateful.

Santoka (1882-1940)

Kyoto is famed for its delicate cuisine (ryori), particularly the sophisticated kaiseki cuisine that evolved from the formal Japanese tea ceremony. Unfortunately, true kaiseki ryori is horrendously expensive, but there is a way to experience something similar, and that is to seek out the vegetarian food eaten by Buddhist monks in Kyoto’s Zen temples—the very cuisine that gave rise to the elaborate kaiseki ritual. This type of fare, shojin ryori, is simpler, but is prepared with great care, using only fresh seasonal vegetables.

It was a little past 11am when I finished visiting the famous Zen rock garden at Ryōan-ji, and as I meandered around the lovely pond on the temple grounds, I spotted the entrance to Seigenin, a minor temple attached to the main temple. The sign at the gate indicated that there was a restaurant on the premises, "Ryōan-ji Seven Herb Tofu," in slightly stilted but charming parlance. Although it was a little early for lunch, the garden path leading up to the restaurant beckoned, and it took only a few moments for me to summon the requisite courage to follow the path up to a graceful pavilion, remove my shoes, and enter.

I needed that courage I’d summoned, as it appeared I was the only patron. Still, I felt rather special as I was escorted to a low table in a tatami-matted room overlooking the delightful garden. That momentarily feeling of privilege soon passed, however, as my knees and ankles, unaccustomed to the requisite kneeling position, began to protest. All too aware of my limitations, I sat with my legs tucked to one side, not the most elegant pose but one I could at least sustain.

Ryōan-ji Seven Herb Tofu is famous for precisely that – a type of yudofu (tofu cooked in hot broth) delicately seasoned with herbs. My meal came in a pot set upon the table brazier, and it was surely more elaborate than a monk’s lunch would be. There were several side dishes, including a bowl of sticky rice, daikon pickles, and cold cooked vegetables aswim in a delicate shoyu broth in addition to the main tofu hot pot.

Eating the slippery pieces of silken tofu with chopsticks proved problematic, however, and a few pieces inevitably landed on my thigh rather than in my mouth as intended. I longed for that discrete little sachet that refined Japanese diners carry in their kimono sleeve to stash the odd bit of food or garnish that they do not wish to consume.

To my uneducated palate, the yudofu seemed slightly bland, one of the precepts of shojin ryori being the avoidance of strong tastes and smells, but I relished the creamy smoothness of the tofu, the crunch of savory pickled vegetables, and above all the lovely setting of the meal. At the end of my luncheon, laying down chopsticks, I was indeed grateful. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 5, 2007