Gaijin vs. Japan: A very typical Japanese weekend

Good morning everyone,

today is a holiday in Japan (Sports Day) but we are awaiting a very strong typhoon so I will stay home, write down all I experienced on the weekend and clean up my room. If I get really bored I will probably study, thats really what rainy days are good for, right?

My weekend started on Saturday with a trip to two very nice temples with Hirotake-san, the son in my host family. He took me along on his scooter, first to Kenninji (建仁寺), the oldest Zen Temple in Kyoto, founded in 1202 by the pries Yousai, wo made the green tea very popular in Japan. We arrived very early (before 10 so luckily there were not so many people yet, even though it was a weekend. Within the Temple the most famous is a painting of the Wind and Thunder Gods of the famous Meiji artist Tawaraya Sotatsu (俵屋宗達) (you might want to remember that name, he was very famous and painted a lot of really great stuff). Very impressive was also the drawing of the two dragons on the ceiling of the Hattou Hall, but since it was painted only recently it doesn't have such a high value.

The Wind and Thunder Gods (Tawaraya Sotatsu)

Stone garden within Kenninji

The twin Dragons

Garden within Kenninji

After leaving Kenninji we still had time to go and visit another Temple. We decided to visit the little brother of Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion, 金閣寺) namely Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavilion, 銀閣寺). Despite what you might expect, it is actually not silver. When we asked about it, we were told, that when they wanted to make it silver the money ran out and it couldn't be accomplished. But despite not being silver it is a very beautiful temple with a beautiful garden around it and was named a World Culture Heritage Site.

Map of the whole temple complex

The Silver Pavilion

The garden at Ginkakuji

Pond with a lot of coins (You are supposed to throw your coin on the stone, if you hit it you will get luck)

Around 12 p.m. we returned home. After a very hasty lunch we (Michiko-san and me) left right away to go to a performance at Mibudera (壬生寺). The traditional theater called Mibukyougen (壬生狂言) has a long tradition and is played without speaking. We watched 5 plays in a row, which took about 5 hour, but it was really interesting (though it could have been shorter, my butt really hurt afterwards).

Newspaper article of the play in Kyoto Shinbun (this is the only picture that I can show you, since taking pictures was not allowed)

On Sunday me and Hirotake-san went out again to see some temples. First we went to Shoukokuji (相国寺) which was first finished in 1392 but burned down again and again (as many other temples in Kyoto and the rest of Japan) but was rebuilt as often. In the "Great Fire of Tenmei" in 1788 were 3/4 of Kyoto burned down, almost the whole temple was lost. Only the Hattou Hall remained, which is now the oldest Hattou Hall in Japan (build in 1605). Really impressive is the ceiling of this hall, where the painting of a gigantic dragon can be seen. No matter where in the hall you stand its eyes are going to follow you. Sadly taking pictures is not allowed and so I can only tell you how impressive it was.

Next we shortly went to Shimogamojinja (下鴨神社) a Shinto Shrine. There is really not so much to say about it. But we saw a wedding couple, which was really beautiful in its traditional clothing.

Lastly we went to Yogenin (養源院) a very small but interesting Temple. Within were many drawings of the famous Tawaraya Sotatsu. Really creepy was the ceiling in one of the rooms, it was brought to the temple and installed there as a ceiling after about 300 Samurai committed suicide on it (when it was still a floor in Fushimi Castle). On this ceiling it is still possible to see hand and footprints of the dead.

After all that culture I went to a sports festival (運動会) in the area where I live. Michiko-san was on the committee and so she knew a lot of people. It was very interesting how young and old took part together in sports games. After making second place the district in which we live had a small celebration in a house nearby. There was a lot of food and drink and everyone was loudly talking about this and that. It seems to me, this was also a very typical Japanese experience.