Kyoto - experience the extra-ordinary. But first, the temples...

Shrine at the Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

Kyoto, now where do I even start? This place is simply magic. There were many things I set out to find in Kyoto, and I found them all. And the surprising thing? The list did not include temples. Well, okay..maybe just one.

Undoubtedly, Kyoto is famous with more than 2,500 big and small temples, shrines & castles. My taxi driver gave me the exact number, and I remembered it as something like 2,670.....although it could really be 2,760. But, you get the point. Assuming you target just to see the top 1% of these temples and you visit 3 temples a day, it would still take you 8 days to complete them by which time you would end up with "temple fatigue", and nothing left in you to explore what I call the real magic of Kyoto.

To be sure, there are some really amazingly unique temples in Kyoto which I would include in my shortlist for anyone going there for the first time. The shortlist is based on my own experience when I last visited Kyoto. If there was something special that I still recall now about any of the temples I had visited, that temple would be worth the visit for you. The others are probably going to escape your memory like they did mine, so don't bother.

My favorite temples in Kyoto, and why I love them are listed here (in order of preference):

1) Kiyomizu Temple (meaning 'Pure Water Temple'). Kiyomizu was the only temple I re-visited during this trip...I love it for its spaciousness. Beautiful scenery during sakura season with a famous huge wooden vendara overlooking the city. You can taste the spring water below the terrance...cool..:) The walk towards the Temple along Higashiyama Street itself is a festive exploration into little shops and eateries, which just might set you back a little longer than you thought!

2) Sanjusangendo Temple. This one is sure to stun you to a stop for admiration when you enter the Sanjusangendo, which means a hall with 33 bays. To the buddhists, the number 33 is sacred as they believe that Buddha disguised himself in 33 forms to save mankind. What would stun you would be the impressive 1,001 carved wooden statutes of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy standing on the 33 bays, all of the same height. Too bad pictures can't be taken!

3) Nijo Castle. This castle was built by the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu, in 1603, as a luxurious fortified residence. I like the Nijo Castle for the intriguing way certain features were built-in to the architecture that conjures images of ninjas sneaking in and out of the castle in the dark. The most fascinating feature is the nightingale floorings, which are special floorboards that creak and sound like nightingale when trod upon in the castle corridors. This serves to protect the Shogun from enemies or intruders (in addition to the already heavy defense of moat and stone walls, which shows just how much he thinks he is being loved). As if that is not enough, the nightingale floors have hidden extensions within them for bodyguards to ambush against enemies. How mysterious!

4) Kinkakuji Temple. Guidebooks describe this temple as beautiful, but I would prefer to describe it more as gaudy with its famous gold-leaf covered pavilion. It's like seeing someone adorn with nothing but a gold color gown and gold jewelry all over. The huge mirror pond does serve to soften the gaudiness, but the interesting thing part about Kinkakuji is not so much the gold-leaf pavilion as it is the architecture style. The first floor of the temple (which actually used to be a Shogun residence from 1397 - 1419) was built in Heian noble style, the 2nd floor Samurai style and the 3rd zen temple style. How the 3 styles decide to come together and be clothed in gold leaf is already a question you should come to find out the answer for.

5) The Zen rock garden at Daisen-In Temple (located within the larger Daitokuji Temple). Staring at rocks does not immediately seem an exciting thing to do. But somehow, a Zen rock garden seem to have a tranquilizing effect on even the most hurried minds. Maybe it is the act of sipping a cup of freshly brewed green tea while getting lost in the circles, lines and small mounts of rocks (reminds me of those 3D drawings). Or maybe it is the presence in this environment that suddenly creates an awareness to the Spirit of Zen, which emphasizes on living according to Nature. The garden was made about 500 years ago by the founding Zen abbot and is a 3D replicate of monochrome landscape paintings. Unless you take it as literally staring at rocks, chances are you would love the calming effect of a Zen rock garden and ask for a 2nd cup of tea :)

So there, that's my top 5 choices of temples to hop to in Kyoto. Hundreds of guidebooks write on temples in Kyoto, so it's a topic I would leave to the experts in this area. What I want to do is embark over the next blogs on the other extraordinary experiences in Kyoto.

Those that would leave you just a little bit more Japanese than before you came :)