Day 08: To-ji, Hongan-ji, and Kyoto-eki

Today I got up around 10 and started biking towards To-ji in the far south of Kyoto. It's about 3 miles away from the dorm, so a bit of a hike on my cheap one speed bike. To-ji's two large halls, Kondo and Kodo, were originally built in the 8th and 9th centuries respectively. However, like seemingly every other structure in Japan, they burned down. Kondo was rebuilt in 1603, and Kodo was rebuilt in 1491. Similarly, the five story pagoda was originally built in the 800s, but burned down several times and the present incarnation was built in 1644. It's the tallest pagoda in Japan and has never collapsed because of earthquake due to a complicated system which allows each level to shift independently.

Anyway, I had a nice stroll around the grounds and started my shuincho. A shuincho is like a stamp book that you take to temples and shrines and there is a special person who will stamp your book and then write some nice calligraphy in it that details the date and name of the site and stuff. It beats the hell out of postcards.

Found these two chumming it up in the garden.

Kando I believe in the bottom right you can see a bunch of stacked buckets filled with water in case of fire. These are all over the place, as well as many fire extinquishers inside the building.

Kado

Next up, just a short ride away, was Hongan-ji. While To-ji is a site of Shingon Buddhism (Esoteric or Tantric Buddhism), Hongan-ji is a site of Pure Land Buddhism. There are many notable structures, fountains, etc. on site but the main attractions are the Amidado (Amida Buddha hall) and the Goeido (Founder's Hall). The Goeido is one of the largest wooden structures in the world.

Amidado

Goeido

Large lotus fountain between Goeido and the Goeido Gate.

Looking out at the courtyard from Amidado

Looking across the front of Goeido. Those metal things hanging from the ceiling are massive iron doors being held open by resting on hooks hanging from iron chains. I felt a little nervous walking under them.

After Hongan-ji I went to Kyoto Station because I heard there was an international market there where you can get Dr. Pepper. Well, I didn't find it, because Kyoto Station's shopping area alone is massive. I did go into a really interesting grocery store though. Think about the perfume/cosmetics area at Macy's where all those little islands with different brands are, except there's a different kind of cuisine being made fresh at each one. It was awesome, but I didn't want to spend a ton of money so I just got some gyoza and headed home. I was too exhausted by this point to snap any pictures, but I'm sure I'll go again.