When we left the Zenran-ji Temple we stopped for coffee and cake (Ella will describe). Then we walked through neighborhoods of more upscale houses towards the center of town. We passed a zoo. Stopped for a crab roll at a market. After about forty-minutes we ended up at the Museum of Kyoto. The museum had exhibits explaining the…
Day: April 20, 2025
Signs in the neighborhood
I am fascinated by the Japanese love of cartoon representations rather than boring old stick figures. That last photo brings up another subject. Japanese cleanliness and fastidiousness. Every car shines like new. No dents or dings. No side view mirrors duct taped on or cardboard-taped broken windows. In museums, if one touches a glass case,…
Coffee and cake
After exploring Eikan-do temple yesterday we needed refreshment. I mean I just had my whole concept of the structure of Buddhism exploded (sure, sure…maybe I’m being a little dramatic). Just outside the entrance to the temple was a place advertising coffee. You know who (and it wasn’t me) made a beeline. On the menu was…
The looking-back Buddha
There are hundreds of temples and shrines in Kyoto, its hard to chose which to visit. I had stumbled across a website called preparetravelplans.com with an article “10 Hidden Gems in Kyoto” which is how we found the Kimono Forest the other day. Of course, the skeptics among you will be rolling your eyes and thinking “hey,…
Umeshu and other Japanese refreshments
Friends of ours (Charlie and Wynette) now on their 13th or 14th year of walking the Caminos in Spain and Portugal, were offered umeshu at a Spanish bar the other day. (Kanpai you two). I’ve recently developed a taste for umeshu here in Japan so I thought I’d say more about it. Umeshu has been…
Sticking with the white stripe
In most of the countries we’ve traveled to on Easter, places have been closed. Here in Japan that certainly wasn’t going to be a concern. But in keeping with a spirit of religious observance we elected to make a morning visit to the Eikan-dō Temple. An early local bus took us to the foothills of Higashiyama, Kyoto’s eastern…