Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji Temple

On my last day in Kyoto I visited a lesser known temple in the Arashimaya area called Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji - quite a mouthful to say, I know! Fewer people go there because its location is a bit far away from the Arashimaya station - we had to walk a mile or two to reach the temple.

This temple's unique feature is its collection of 1,200 carved stone figures scattered over the grounds. Each of the figures is a disciple of Shaka, the founder of Buddhism. People from around Japan carved these figures between 1981 and 1991.

Each statue, therefore, has a unique set of features. Some have amusing or hilarious expressions, and it was quite fun to go around and observe the small details.

The temple grounds were also quite lovely. Stone paths climb and curve up the hills, set off by distinctive red lantern posts. I love the contrast of the fire engine red with the deep green sheen of moss upon the rocks and the leaves.

At the first pagoda you come across on the hill, you can ring the heavy bells that hang from the ceiling. They create a low, deep, and melodic ring that vibrates across the silence of the hills.

There are seemingly endless little smiling statues, some with their own props, others interacting with their buddies.

 
You could probably spend hours observing each statue, but for practical purposes you only need an hour at the most to take in the attraction. It cost 300 yen ($3 USD) to enter, and it is open from 8AM to 5PM.



If you are spending a day in the Arashimaya area, I would recommend that you take a little side trip to see this temple. There is actually a bus stop right outside the entrance, and several buses do make the trip to the Arashimaya station, though they do not come frequently.

I'll leave you with a few more photos of this temple!

Ryoan-ji Temple

Ryoan-ji is a World Heritage Site temple in Kyoto famous for its rock garden. It's located a short walk away from the famous Kinkakuji (Golden Temple). I think sometimes it tends to get overshadowed, though it's highly worth the visit if you enjoy nature scenery and peace.

I went in the very early morning, right after the temple grounds opened, and I was able to avoid most of the crowds. The area was tranquil and serene. Ryoan-ji is most well-known for the rock garden but it also has a beautiful lake and a "landscape garden" with winding sun-dappled paths. In the early fall season, the full vegetation remained lush and green.

The minimalist rock garden is located within the temple walls. There are fifteen rocks of different sizes arranged meticulously inside a large rectangular yard full of white sand. During my brief visit, tourists sat on the broad steps next to the rock garden, meditating, contemplating, and photographing the scene. The origins and the meaning of the rock garden are unclear, so it is up to the viewer's own interpretation.

Another significant feature of Ryoan-ji is this beautiful stone water basin called Tsukubai. The water flowing from the basin is used for ritual washing and purification. There is an inscription upon the stone that carries the Buddhist saying "I learn only be to contented." The zen message here is to be at peace with yourself at your current situation.

The beautiful and well-kept grounds were perfect for an early morning stroll. I really wish I could have this type of environment around me every day - it's neither completely nature nor completely man-made. Rather, it's a delicate balance between the two, of humans carefully crafting natural forms into unique designs and meanings. 

I highly recommend that you dedicate an hour or two to Ryoan-ji if you are in the area, especially in the early morning hours before the crowds arrive. 

A Walk Through Dihua Street

Dihua Street is the oldest street in Taipei. It once was a center of bustling commercial activity, and to this day still is full of shops selling traditional Chinese goods and wares. We decided to visit the street on a sunny afternoon this week.

The street is closest to the Daqiaotou MRT. After getting out of the station, we walked a few blocks, directed by well-labeled signage, before arriving at the entrance of Dihua Street. About a block away from the opening of the street is a narrow staircase up towards a large bridge that crosses the Tamsui River, so we climbed upwards to catch the view.  

This stretch of river is quite picturesque, and there is a well-maintained bike route that goes along the riverside.

Looking out over the other side of the bridge, you can see the mountains near Tamsui, (alternatively Danshui). We actually ended up going there a few days later.

After taking in the gorgeous views from the bridge, we turned back around to walk down Dihua Street. The end of the street near the bridge was rather deserted on a Monday afternoon. A few businesses were open, but there were only a few sprinkling of visitors here and there.

Alongside the traditional shops there are a few rather hipster cafes and stores selling updated modern versions of local crafts. Here is one quaint cafe - art gallery hybrid with a lovely brick patio out back. We stopped here for a breather and to get an iced latte before heading onwards down the street.

As we kept walking, the streetscape began to change, block by block. There were more open shops, more people walking around and mingling, and increased traffic on the road. The atmosphere felt more lively and festive.

I looked up at one point and noticed the beautifully preserved brick and stone facades on the buildings. It kind of reminded me of Singapore's traditional shophouses, only those tend to be wooden with colorful shutters. 

We passed by many shops selling Chinese herbs, medicines, and dried goods. Everything was neatly packaged up or jarred, and there were little dishes of samples for customers to try. 

One street corner shop was piled full with bags of garlic!

Here is a small sampling of the dried goods that were on offer - nuts, lentils, dates, fruits, and dried mushrooms...

...and shark fins! Shark fin is a delicacy but quite a controversial one - the practice is deemed cruel and wasteful, as fishermen will slash off the fins of sharks before throwing away the rest of the body.

There's a lovely little temple further along Dihua street called Xiahai Temple.

Yongle Market, a multi-storied fabric market, is also located on Dihua Street. There are many stalls crammed together over two floors, full of colorful fabrics and textiles. On the 8th floor of this building is a museum dedicated to shadow puppets and opera. There is a theatre and practice rooms, and on this day we saw several groups practicing for their performances.

We got to the end of the street just as the sun was setting, and headed to the nearby Ningxia Night Market. No photos of that one - it was a bit of a disappointment, as it was simply a row of streetcarts lined up the middle of the street. There were lots of interesting eats, but I prefer more enteratining night markets which have food interspersed with other types of stalls (shopping, games, drinks, performances), like Shilin or Raohe. Still, all in all, a good day exploring Taipei!

Hungry Ghost Festival

I'm out of the U.S. again. After Singapore, I returned home to Virginia for seven weeks, before leaving again for new adventures in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. I arrived around the beginning of the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is celebrated by Chinese communities around the world. Basically, some believe that the ghosts of ancestors come out during this month and in order to appease the ghosts, their living descendants have to offer them food and entertainment. I have seen people burning incense and offering small platters of snacks along streets in front of homes and businesses. There are a few superstitions surrounding this month - apparently you are not supposed to travel or move house. Oops!

Then I visited a large and famous temple called Longshan Temple to see some major festivities. The temple is a pretty big tourist attraction and has its own MRT station, but on the day I visited it wasn't swarming with international visitors, but full of locals paying respects to their ancestors' ghosts. 

The temple during the Hungry Ghost Festival is quite an elaborate and lavish affair. There are tables upon tables of various foods, from prepared meats and fruits to processed snacks and drinks. Upon entering the atrium, we saw tables full of whole cooked ducks and fish. 

There were pork parts (I think they were pork knuckles) decorated to look like bunnies.

Small dishes full of various dried foods, like red dates and wood-ear mushrooms, were also displayed prominently alongside stir-fried noodles and bottles of beer.

I'm unclear if there are clear rules about what can and cannot be offered to the ghosts. There was quite a diverse and seemingly random array of edibles, as can be seen below - boxes of sodas and biscuits, breads, chips. Some were perishable, some not, others seemed like they were half-eaten or already opened. It was a confusing but interesting assortment!

The strong smell of incense and its smokey haze filled the air in the temple, adding to the muggy heat of the summer afternoon. The intense heat was no joke - temperatures have been in the 90s since I've been here! Some days have had a "real feel" temperature of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (adding in humidity and sun exposure to the air temperature).

The summer heat didn't seem to stop anyone from attending the ceremony at the temple. There were people of all ages praying and holding out incense sticks, from old wizened aunties in flowery flannel pants to young teenage boys with their earphones plugged in to their iPods. People were also reading from little books. I saw a few other tourists roaming around in the crowded temple with big DSLR cameras, but they were far outnumbered on this festival day.

Inside the main temple was some sort of ritual ceremony. Several monks were arrayed inside, playing traditional music and chanting and reading off of books. They used microphones in order to be heard by the mass of people in front and around the temple.

Some people crowded in at the front of the temple where they could see the monks sitting inside, others stood around the outside perimeter of the building, following along the chanting with their own books. There were segments where everyone broke into song.

At about 6PM there was a mass exodus of people out of the temple complex. Perhaps that is when the ceremony ended for the day. Around Longshan Temple are several popular night markets, and it seemed that they were extra crowded due to the influx of temple visitors. It was fun to come to the temple on such an interesting day and observe the local traditions. 

Bayon Temple and Preah Khan

After exploring the majestic Angkor Wat temple, our tuk tuk driver picked us up at the entrance to take us to another famous site, the Bayon Temple. Driving through the park, we came across a bridge with these big guys lined up along the edges. They don't look very happy! 

The temples are quite far from each other so it makes sense to hire a tuk tuk driver for the day and have him take you around. Upon arriving at Bayon Temple we noticed that a lot of it is still in ruins and disrepair. In a way, these imperfections made everything feel more authentic. It wasn't like a museum, where cosmetic touches will sometimes be added to exhibits. I'm not sure if sites are left this way out of authenticity or simply funding and time issues.

Again, there were so many interesting carvings into the stones. I wish I knew more and could understand what the significance of these depictions are.

The temple is famous for the huge faces carved in the big pillars. Do you see them? Lots of tourists were trying to take photos at angles where it would seem like they were kissing the faces.

Then we were ready to eat lunch at the early hour of 10AM! There are lots of little restaurant stands dotting the archaeological park, catering solely to tourists. Our tuk tuk driver took us to his friend's eatery. It's quite interesting to think about the informal networks that exist within those in the tourism industry. It makes sense to create these connections - hotels, restaurants, even massage parlors have relationships with specific drivers. This creates efficiency and trust in an otherwise unregulated and chaotic system.

A big bowl of chicken cabbage soup, cooked to order, was perfect for the drizzling weather.

Even though it was before noon, we were exhausted from the hours of walking around. We went to one final temple on the recommendation of our tuk tuk driver, called Preah Khan. It is a low-lying building, an extensive maze of walls, stones, and pathways. The two major pathways running through the temple crisscross, creating four main entrances at the cardinal directions.

The stones were such a unique blend of colors, melding slowly from aqua green to light pink and orange. They seemed tumbled about, lying haphazardly on the floor of the temple.

Sadly the temple has fallen victim to thieves throughout the years. There are a lot of statues looking like the below, missing everything except the feet. I imagine that all the heads and torsos are hidden away in private galleries all over the world.

There was a lot more to see, but we were so wiped out from almost eight hours of touring. It's recommended that you give Angkor Wat a few days at the very least if you want to see most of it. You can get a 3-day pass for $40USD. Unfortunately, we only had a short while in Cambodia, but what we did see was amazing!