I have always believed Japan looks best in the rain, and yesterday proved that assumption especially nicely.
We three journeyed by subway and city bus out to Ohara on the outskirts of the city and found ourselves among the few to have decided to do the same. Despite the crowds of cherry blossom visitors in Kyoto itself, hardly anyone had decided to visit two of the most attractive sites in the nearby countryside. We pretty much had Jakko-in and Sanzenin to ourselves!
Furthermore the rain let up soon enough and the light drizzle remaining was no deterrent in the least. The result: "perfection perfected"!
Jakko-in was founded as a Buddhist nunnery at the end of the sixth century. The Abbesses assigned here were always aristocratic women of high social status. Among them was Kenreimon-in, the mother of the child emperor Antoku (who drowned in 1185 in the Battle of Dannoura during which the Minamoto defeated the Taira to gain military control of the empire). Following that defeat, she became a nun, devoting her prayers to the repose of her son and the members of the Taira clan to which she, too, belonged as the daughter of Taira Kiyomori.
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The small temple seen today is an authentic replica of the original burned to the ground in 2000. It contains reproductions of relics and statuary found in the earlier structure and is surrounded by exquisite gardens and wooded hillsides. Having the entire place essentially all to ourselves was a real pleasure. I was also VERY impressed that I understood everything the docent said in her ten minute explanation about the temple and its contents!
On our way back down the valley we stopped to bathe our feet in a hot springs coffeehouse -- probably the highlight of the day!
Across the valley and up another hill, we enjoyed a quick lunch, then visited Sanzenin with its beautiful gardens and Ojo-Gokurau-in Hall (dating to 986).
By this time, Colin had become totally immersed in capturing his experiences in digital images, moving beyond the blossoms and other fauna that had been an earlier focus.
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Before we left to walk back to the bus, I wanted to see if I could locate a huge pine tree shaped in the likeness of Mt. Fuji which I had seen on several earlier occasions but hadn't been able to find again on recent visits. While searching the neighborhood, we came upon an imposing temple I had never visited before, which Ted insisted we should add to our itinerary. Shorin-in (founded in 1013) proved a lovely interlude, nestled into the hills and surrounded by lush greenery and with a beautifully illuminated image of the Amitabha Buddha in its main hall.
Furthermore, there it was - Mt. Fuji! - glimpsed off to the right above the trees! And so, on we traipsed to visit Hosen-in where we not only wandered through yet another exquisite garden but also enjoyed a bowl of green tea served in a room looking out on a three dimensional screen painting come to life.
The misty hills and rain-deepened colors surrounding us the entire day added another, much appreciated, layer to all the pleasures served up on this very special excursion into the countryside. Hurray for rainy days!
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