本学院の留学生リシタさんの京都日記です。京都で感じた日本文化への思いを書きます。
Trip To Kyoto ~
Kyoto, the cultural centre of Japan. The city which has a long history of empires , emperors and temples. The city looked like a painting in motion.
The places I visited
I had a chance of visit many places . The first one was the KinkakuJi.
This pagoda was built by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the 15th century. Popularly known as the golden pavilion, it is a sight to behold.
The next destination was the Nijojo Castle. This place revealed the histroy of Japan to me. I got to know about Yukigakoi and the intresting wooden door paintings . In the museum of the castle, I observed the excavated artefacts and the process of their restoration.
Later that day, I had this opportunity to visit Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus and met the professors of the university. Many of them had been to India and I learnt a lot while we discussed about the cultural differences between the two countries.
The next day began with exploring the Nishihonganji . The deity of the temple is Amitabh (the celestial budha according to Mahayana Buddhism). The temple complex was so grand and ancient.
The next stop was the Sanjusangendo Temple. It was one of the most interesting places. The center of the main hall houses wooden statue of a 1000-armed Kannon (Senju Kannon) surrounded by 500 statues of human sized 1000-armed Kannon standing in ten rows. Together they make for an awesome sight. From Sanjusangendo we had a walk through the ancient city while seeing the traditional Chawanzaka. Then, stopped at the Kiyomizu temple . Temple was built in 780 and has a huge complex. The premises are made of wood and without the use of nuts and bolts .
The final visit was to the local market of Nishki market. The street market of Japan was bustling with people.
What surprised me?
The first thing which I observed in Kyoto was its unique street pattern. It is inspired by the Chinese Tang dynasty’s rectangular grid pattern. There are barely tall buildings and in fact all the buildings show uniformity in color , without any bright colors. Kyoto has beautifully preserved its rich culture. The Sanjusangendo Temple, was a much known place for me, because of the various similarities, Sinto and Hinduism share. I have described about the same in the next parts of my report.
I am thankful to Handa Sensei for taking me to this wonderful place and giving me a chance to learn so much. This was once in a lifetime experience for sure.
