#temple of the golden pavillion | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

itsataraxiaa · 5 days

Note

sunday brainrot will not leave me ALONE just thinking abt his little "triple faced gods blah blah tell the truth" AURRRGGHH need to be interrogated by him SO BAD

omg yes

I imagine a scenario where you were his little insight spy without your knowledge and he‘ll use the Harmony to coax the information out of you. But this time- he was jealous of someone he didn't know.

i‘m completely normal about this man I swear

Clematis

pairings: Yan!Sunday x reader warnings: Yandere, Manipulation, Gaslighting, Reader referred to as „Angel“, god complex Sunday (?)

it was supposed to be a simple meeting with your loving boyfriend.

when he requested your presence, you initially thought he was stressed because of work again and that he needed rest- that he needed you, as usual.

after bidding farewell to the shopkeeper you were currently with, you made your way towards the Reverie Hotel. Some Family members on the way recognized you and gave you a small smile or a simple bow- mostly due to the fact that you were Sunday‘s lover. You reciprocated the kind gesture and gave a quick smile as well, even after having the strange feeling of being watched.

once you were on the plaza in front of the Reverie, you noticed one of Sunday‘s crows on one of the fences, watching you closely. They have always been around the city and Sunday told you to simply ignore them, so you did. But today, they seemed restless; when you left Dewlight Pavillion, when you walked around Golden Hour, when you bought some snacks from a Pepeshi Person- at least one crow was watching you.

opening the doors to Dewlight Pavillion, you were expecting to see Brina behind the reception counter greeting you, but instead, you were met with utter silence- as no one was in the room. A hint of uneasiness washed over your body as you continued to traverse through the Pavillion. Even in the halls, where there were usually some guards, there was silence.

you were filled with worry before rushing towards Sunday‘s office, flinging the door open- only to see him stand leisurely in front of the bookcase.

after hearing you entering, your lover turned around and gave you his charming smile.

„Good, you‘re here, my dear.“ he said, one hand behind his back and the other directing towards an armchair. „Please, sit.“ you slowly shook your head as you turned to the door again, stuttering over your words. „The… e-entire Pavillion- there‘s.. no one.. i-is everything okay?“ as you turned back to Sunday, he gave you a reassuring smile. „yes, everything is fine, Angel. Please, calm down and sit.“ you shrugged before listening to your lover, sitting down. The uneasy feeling in your stomach did not falter one second, but you were telling yourself that you were safe as long as Sunday was there.

„Dear, you seem more stressed than I was a few moments ago. Shall I ease your worries first before I tell you mine?“ you let out a long exhale as you nodded your head. Usually, you were the one calming Sunday down after a long day; stroking his hair, cleaning his wings, kissing his temple- he always said he appreciated these small gestures and you loved to do them.

sunday did the same to you right now. He brushed a few hairs out of your face, held your cheek in his palm and kissed you lightly on the forehead, his wings engulfing your head softly. your body and mind had calmed down by the time he retracted his face and when he smiled again you mirrored it. However, when you looked closer, his smile wasn‘t genuine and behind, there were his crows- their eyes focused on you.

„Have you calmed down? May I now share my troubles with you, Angel?“ he asked like usually and without hesitation, you nodded. „Of course.“

„Perfect. Now, there have been some… ‚issues‘ inside the Family‘s network. The Bloodhound Family has been trying to apprehend a stowaway, and please, don‘t take this the wrong way when I say this,“ the feeling in your stomach only increased and you didn‘t like it.

„you meet a lot of people everyday, and the stowaway was one of them, we believe. You wouldn‘t mind telling me about that, would you?“ Sunday had his hand on your cheek and stroked it softly with his thumb, the fabric of his gloves smooth on you skin, but your breath hitched as his hand traveled to you chin, holding it.

"I'm afraid I don't know a-anything." you tried to sound normal, but the small stutter gave you away, yet Sunday only chuckled. "I don't need any of your lies today, love. My patience has been running thin these past few days." his charming smile was replaced with a small frown and your body was betraying you. You tried to compose yourself, but it was futile.

"I only need truths." Sunday said and his whole demeanor changed.

"Oh, Triple-Faced Soul, please sear their tongue and palms with a hot iron, so that they will not be able to fabricate lies and make false vows."

your whole mind was shooting blanks as you felt an unfamiliar dizziness wash over you. The whole room was becoming too colorful, and your lover's face became distorted as he made you look at him again.

"I apologize for the circumstances, but you gave me no choice. Under the light of the Harmony, all wickedness is revealed." his words were echoing in your ears and you finally realized the situation you were in.

The crows, the empty pavilion, the Harmony: he was watching you.

"Who were the people you met two days ago on the Dream's Edge?" he asked and multiple memories flooded your mind. At this very moment, you were scared. Scared at your Lover. You didn't want to answer but a terrible headache took your mind off the idea.

"...not many, I remember... Chadwick, Colleen, those small birds... and that one... man?" the headache eased once you answered but the Harmony's influence was still present.

"What man? What was his name? What did his appearance look like? What did the two of you talk about?" you wanted to get up from your seat and run away, return to reality- but you knew that your legs had no ounce of strength.

"I don't remember his name, but it was something with A... Adan, I believe...and he had blonde hair, I think... with brown eyes." the room was getting more and more blurry with each second you didn't answer, but the loss of equilibrium made even your memories hazy. "We talked about the view of the Dreamscape... yes, that's it.." Sunday hummed unsatisfied as he heard your answer, clicking his tongue.

"What else? What else did you talk about?"

"I don't remember...! My head hurts..." Sunday held your face in his hands and made you look at him. His hands were soft to the touch and a worried smile was plastered on his lips. "I really didn't want to do this, Angel." he cooed, his face close to yours. "You know I only want the best for you, don't you?" those sweet words made your heart melt as you remembered the times where he took the blame if you accidentally ruined some of the Family's documents or when you broke something in Dewlight Pavilion.

"Angel, I gave you everything, and I can give you even more- I can give you everything that exists in the world, just tell me what I want to know." your breath hitched before he placed a soft kiss on your lips and you think you lost your mind after everything was hazy. Your memory, your view, the voices- everything became duller and duller by the second. Sunday asked something and you answered, but you can't comprehend what you said. You only felt his hand graze your temple before darkness engulfed you and you blacked out.

the soft humming, a calming scent, and a damp towel on your forehead welcomed you when you regained consciousness. as you slowly opened your eyes, a feather before your eyes greeted you and the humming stopped.

"You're awake. I was afraid you wouldn't wake up today." Sunday said softly, his hand on yours, stroking it gently. "...what?" you groaned as you fully regained consciousness, the headache returning tenfold. The damp towel was replaced by a hand, and you heard some whispering from Sunday.

"...oh, Triple-Faced Soul, may their fatigue vanish completely and let the harmony heal their mind."

you sighed as your body and mind calmed down, your worries from before disappearing. "Sunday...? what happened?" you asked when you saw his face full of worry.

"Nothing that needs your concern, Angel. Please, rest up and let me take care of you. Will you allow me?" you nodded at his gentle words and he hummed contently. His hand grazed over your arms as you felt more at ease before slowly falling asleep again. Sunday continued humming, even as he turned his face to his crows.

"Inform someone from the Bloodhound Family of this individual, and let them apprehend this... "stowaway." the crows disappeared in a blinks eye before he faced you again. The frown turned into a small smile again as he bent down and placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

"No one is allowed to 'flirt' with what is mine."

A/N: hehahehafuu I'm going feral because of this man

#sunday #honkaistarrail #honkaistarrail drabbles #hsr #sundayhonkaistarrail #honkai star rail x reader #honkai x reader #honkai star rail Sunday x reader #Sunday hsr x reader #sunday x reader #sunday x you #sunday x y/n

209 notes · View notes

nuri148 · 3 months

Text

My Trip to Japan! ⛩️ Part 3

16.12

We had breakfast as soon as service started at 6:30, and then went to take the Shinkansen to Kyoto. The trip lasted just under an hour, and we arrived at 8:30. It was an adventure to get out. It would take us a day and a half to figure out the right way to move around the gigantic Kyoto station without getting trapped like a rat in a maze. We left the suitcases at the hotel, conveniently located just opposite the station, and went straight to Kinkaku-ji, the temple of the Golden Pavillion. The titlepavillion is one of several that make up the temple, though none as spectacular. The gardens were a delight. We had matcha tea at the temple's tea house, with a very tasty sweet bearing the pavillion’s outline and a touch of gold leaf.

We continued to the next temple, Ryō-An-ji. I liked this one a lot; it has a large stone Zen garden that invites contemplation... until the school outing arrives and misaligns all your chakras. On the way out, I bought a beautiful maiko doll for my niece, and we had a butaman, a very fluffy bread ball filled with pork. Very tasty.

Next on the itinerary was Ninna-ji, with an impressive monumental gate and a cherry blossom promenade that must be a dream during hanami season. Ninna-ji is an extensive complex, with many pavilions and a five-story pagoda. It was already 1 pm so we took a cute vintage train to Arashiyama, where we had some delicious sobaforlunch, looked at shops, and peeked at the Katsura River before attacking the fourth temple of the day, UNESCO World Heritage Site like the other 3: Tenryū-ji. This was the one that caught my attention the least (or maybe I was already saturated), but next to it ther’s the bamboo forest. You don't enter the forest proper, which is fenced, but walk through a pathway opened between the canes. Still, the height, greenery, and coverage of the bamboo canopy are impressive. You could hear the crackling of the canes hitting each other.

On the way back to the train, we happened to pass by a Shinto shrine in the middle of the bamboo forest, Nonomiya jinja, beautiful in its simplicity. Imperial princesses came here to purify themselves for at least a year before going to the Ise Shrine to ervve there on behalf of the emperor. Even if the custom ended in the 14th century, Nonomiya shrine still enjoys the favor of the imperial family.

In the evening we strolled a bit through the picturesque Gion district at night, had dinner, and went to bed for the next early rising.

17.12.

We got up at six sharp to go to the world-famous Fushimi Inari-taisha, the “shrine of the thousand torii” (ritual gates). We missed the train we wanted to take, lost in the mega-station, but we still arrived in time to start well before the hordes of visitors arrived. Even before entering, I witnessed something that gave a hint of how special this place is: while we were have breakfast in front of the konbini opposite the main entrance, a taxi stopped, the driver got out, prayed facing the temple right there on the tarmac, and continued his route.

The shrine was founded in the 8th century, dedicated, like the mountain where it sits, to Inari, the Shinto deity of rice, agriculture, and business, whose messenger animal is the fox. Therefore, fox-shaped statuettes are omnipresent on the altars spread all about the mountain. We went in, toured the different halls, and started the climb up Mount Inari along the torii-lined path. These gates are erected as votive offerings; the large ones, like the ones along the path, can cost as much as a luxury car, so they usually come from companies, but many minor shrines hold small, smaller, tiny, keychain-sized torii gates. Throughout the mountain, there are literally thousands of shrines: new and old, luxurious or very humble, alone or in groups, next to the path or hidden in the forest, pristine or claimed by nature.

Regardless of each person’s beliefs, Fushimi Inari has more than earned its sacred mountain status. Its atmosphere is tremendously spiritual. Even as I write this I get emotional, as I recall the overwhelming feeling that gripped me most of the way, despite the growing number of people appearing as the day progressed.

After leaving the shrine, we ate some takoyaki on the go and went to the center, to Nishiki Market, a covered street with very nice shops, especially food ones. I stopped at one which had all kinds of beautiful things, had my loot, and when I got to the cash point, the old lady took all her time to perfectly wrap the humble set of Hina dolls that I had bought. Position, bag, box, bag… I legit felt like Alan Rickman in Love Actually when Mr. Bean wraps the gift for his lover. Three times I told her she didn’t need to peel the price tags, as everything was for myself. Forget it, the price tag must go. We ate some more takoyaki to complete lunch at a place that only sells that. The basic ones were ¥280 (€1.90) for 6. In Europe, they charge you €5 for 4 balls. After eating, we went to Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, with beautiful gardens and not as crowded as the golden one (spoiler: it's not covered in silver. That was the idea, but it never materialized).

We went down a little street that borders a canal called "The Philosopher's Path". A very bucolic and pleasant stroll, with a lot of green, traditional houses and hardly any shops, just art galleries or craft workshops. The last temple of the day was Eikan-do. Larger than we anticipated, it’s set within lush gardens and is beautiful: its many pavillions include a pagoda and a curved staircase nicknamed "sleeping dragon." Next to these stairs stands the three-needle pine, whose needles grow in groups of three, not two. It’s said to symbolize the virtues of wisdom, mercy, and sincerity. And that if you get a pine needle like that, you will be blessed with all three. Unfortunately, with everything being so clean, there was none within my reach.

⬆️ I haven't talked much about shopping so far, because the truth is there was hardly any AoT merchandise anywhere. These on the picture above are the only items they had at the Kyoto Animate store: One (1) chibi Levi clearfile; random manga volumes; One (1) Ereh acrylic stand and One (1) Levi one but it was teen Levi, not looking hot; and a "surprise" box with some chibi stuff but I'm certainly NOT spending 880¥ in a surprise. That's it. Neither Donki nor the discount place opposite had jackshit.

We had dinner on the 11th floor of the train station. Kyoto Station's building is a monster of engineering; the north hall rises ten floors above street level and includes a monumental staircase with LED colors on the risers that play with lights and even reproduce entire videos in full color (we saw the trailer for the latest Disney movie); on that side, there’s a huge department store, of which the last two floors are food courts: the 10th floor is only ramen restaurants, and the 11th floor has a bit of everything. We had beef tongue, a favourite of mine. After dinner, we went to the Sky Gallery, a walkway emerging from the 10th floor, with panoramic views of the station and the city.

18.12.

We woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel buffet, supposedly "western style," which turned out to be a hit-and-miss, not so much because of the Japanese version of what you can find at a buffet in Europe or the US, but because many of those dishes were cold, when they’re eaten warm in the West.

We started the day at Kiyomizu-dera, very spacious, with a clarity inside the temple that I hadn't seen in other Buddhist shrines. The impressive views over the city from its balcony supported by a structure of 13-meter-high wooden pillars are noteworthy. We walked down, looking at shops in Gion (there was a Ghibli shop here too!) and then we looked for an early lunch, as we had booked a kimono tea ceremony at one.

The buildig where the tea house operates is a registered cultural property. They dressed me in a kimono for me: an underrobe, tied with a ribbon (which straightens your back), the kimono itself, tied wit another ribbon, a plate to hold the obi (sash) in place, and the obi. They did my hair, and I proceeded to the salon, where Husband was already waiting for me looking like a full-fledged samurai. We were in a group of 8: us, an Australian couple about our age, and an Asian-American family of dad, mom, and two teenage children. Luckily, everyone was motivated and respectful of the place and the ritual.

After the hostess showed the entire process, she taught us how to whisk the matcha, and we enjoyed our tea (the traditional way is that everyone takes turns drinking from the same cup, but since the pandemic, each one gets their own bowl). Previously, we tasted sweets. One of them was a kind of dumpling filled with anko that blew my mind. It's called yatsuhashi and is a Kyoto specialty. The hostess wrote the name on a piece of paper for me and everything, but... My joy was short-lived, as when I went to buy it, the expiration date was quite short, so I could only got a small package to eat as soon as we returned home. Once the ceremony was over, we took photos at will in the house garden before returning the kimono.

In the afternoon we went to Nijo Castle, with impressive paintings on the door panels and exquisite marquetry on the lintels and ceilings. The historical significance of this castle is enormous, as it was the place wher the Tokugawa shogunate, better known as the Edo era, both began and ended. After the castle and more walking around the city centre, we had dinner and dragged ourselves back to the hotel, exhausted, and prepared everything to go to Nara the next day.

#nuri148 trips #Japan 2023 #Kyoto #tea ceremony #attack on titan #aot merch #or lack thereof

8 notes · View notes

kainisticinstincts · 1 month

Note

yes hello in your opinion which Yukio Mishima novel is good to start with? am very happy to be figuratively punched in the face by said novel

Confession of a Mask or Temple of the Golden Pavillion

3 notes · View notes

netego · 2 years

Note

hi, i'm that person which had send to you a message on instagram 5~6 months (you prob won't remember), anyway, i've finished as you recommended to me to begin with mishima: the temple of the golden pavilion. i loved it. i had read some japanese authors like ryuunosuke akutagawa and ozamu dazai, but mishima sounded so unique and poetic. can you recommend me which book should i read after the goden pavillion? or an order to read. thank you in advance, also i love the aesthetic of your blog. :p

Hey there,

I remember. I'm glad you enjoyed my book recommendation. What did you thought of it? What were your favourite moments?

I would suggest reading "The sailor who fell from grace with the sea" next! After that I would either read "Confessions of a Mask" if you want to get a better grasp of the author as a person or skip to his masterpiece tetralogy "The Sea of fertility", starting with "Spring Snow". You can also squeeze "Patriotism" in there since it's only 30 pages.

Thanks! Have fun reading and feel free to drop me a message anytime.

#<+3 #yukio mishima #japanese literature

10 notes · View notes

partangel · 1 year

Note

How have you been? Miss hearing from you! Hope you're okay <3

hey dear! sorry for the lateness, all is well! between work, academics and taking care of my relationships i nearly do not have time to check tumblr! i have always been a bit difficult on keeping face in social media.

ive recently fallen in love with juan rulfo's pedro paramo. for such a short book it has occupied much space in my mind. i also had the pleasure to read dura's blue eyes, black hair. im sure its not for a lot of people, but i think its beautiful in a way its not easy to digest. very different from her book the lover, which i adored. but i think anything duras writes has a sensibility and beauty typical of her, surely.

i think the only problem in my life is actually the lack of time to read! im hoping to get my hands on the temple of the golden pavillion by mishima & the heart is a lonely hunter by mccullers soon but alas..... no time for anything anymore!

hope youre doing well too 🤍 always interested in hearing what everyone has been up to.

4 notes · View notes

jibsanity · 1 year

Photo

Mirror mirror on the wall . . . . . . . . . . . #lifeofadventure #letsgosomewhere #ourdailyplanet #instatravel #unitedjourney #tourist #adventure #travel #travelogue #travelmogul #travelmore #travelphotography #theglobalwanderer #travelgram #travelguru #vacation #japan #kyoto #goldenpalace #kinkakujitemple #temple #royalty #kinkakuji #asia #unitedairlines #goldenpavilion (at Kinkakuji - Golden Pavillion, Kyoto) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpZHGiBriJT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

3 notes · View notes

titoist · 2 years

Text

just finished watching "mishima: a life in four chapters". it is 2 am. extremely basal and disjointed observations below: lot of conflicting emotions. strange dissonance in at once finding mishima thoroughly familiar - in a fraternal sense - & at once completely revolting. but of course, as with all things, one has to separate what is good & human from what is rotten and irretrievable. what is obvious: mishima's entire life was spent fixating on his own abject physical misery as a boy, his fixation on words rather than action, & an idealized spiritual release in death as a man. and, of course, the upshot of these two central concepts being: masculinity re-contextualized as a death cult - to achieve ultimate beauty, one must die. the ultimate manner of freezing relations, of arresting decay in its entirety, of making beauty permanent. it is the great equalizer, uniting words & action, & almost all other things are secondary in achieving this fetishistic, spiritual peace in death. this is 'stupid', of course, for a great number of presuppositions. but it is a running theme in all of his work. in the golden pavillion, the acolyte burns down the temple, not being able to stand its beauty, killing it with feverish movements - though he is unable to kill himself in the process, & has been denied a "hero's death". he is forced to continue the embarrassment of living. in kyoko's house, well. the young man laying down in a pool of his own blood to satisfy & please his emotionless, cold lover might be a clue. but then you have a lot of other, sincere ideas which… are seeming to only partially make themselves known under the surface, gasping for air under his own intense suffocation. and even without them, maybe one can appreciate his work, even if the ideas they present are dystopic - but then you get into a discussion of… whether entertaining the ideas at all by engaging with them artistically is to be accepted? if it's debasing yourself in some way? he certainly seemed to think so… so maybe that's a clue to the right direction. what is maybe a little less obvious, marginally: kafka has this short story - "The Top" it speaks of a writer, or a philosopher maybe, who… spends his entire time - i suppose, when he is not reflecting - observing the playground, attempting to chase at spinning tops as children gleefully spin them around. while he is chasing, while the tops are spinning, watching them envelop into themselves, he feels this… profound clarity of mind - an all-pervasive eureka filling his body, he understands it all, and things could not be clearer, the clouds are parting and the fog-like obfuscation enveloping all things is slowly being lifted - this is it! and all he must do is catch the spinning top, hold it in his hand, look at it, and he will finally understand. but then he actually catches it. and, perforce, the spinning top stops spinning. the clarity leaves his mind, in writhing waves, as he is left frustratedly holding the impotent little thing in his hand, now reduced to a toy. but he always keeps coming back for more - and every time he is just as sure that this will be it. i feel like a majority of Mishima's life was spent chasing spinning tops... in one way or another.

4 notes · View notes

teningosui · 2 years

Note

What are your favorite japanese classics

Spring Snow and Temple of Golden Pavillion by Yukio Mishima are like one of my all time favourite books, I have yet to finish Spring Snow but the whole book is so beautifully written and some of the dialogues live rent free in my mind. Also Temple of the Golden Pavillion is in my opinion, peak of japanese literature. Also honorable mentions: Snow Country by Kawabata, Dogra Magra by Yumeno Kyuusaku, idk if you like poetry but Ise Monogatari is amazing so yeah

#drij replies #me sweating and thinking for 10 minutes which books i like

7 notes · View notes

klanderson1335 · 2 months

Text

Linda is such a trooper; she’s still sick, but powering through the day and not letting it get in the way of seeing a few of Kyoto’s most famous sights. But first, fluffy pancakes.

We went to Arashiyama first to visit the bamboo forest and enjoyed a traditional Harenohi Gozen meal at Itsukichaya restaurant. Then we visited the Golden Pavillion (Kinkaku-Ji Temple), which never ceases to take my breath away. The temple is stunning, but the surrounding environment makes the whole experience extremely peaceful. It makes sense since it is, hello, a Zen Buddhist temple. Our final stop was to go, on purpose, to the food stalls of Nishiki Market. It was super crowded because it’s a National Holiday today (Happy Birthday to Emperor Naruhito) and everyone was out and about.

Dinner was at an eel restaurant on the top floor of a Daimaru department store. You can see one of the chefs killing the eels outside the main kitchen. We decided we weren’t going to find fresher eel than this, and indeed the whole meal was amazing. We visited our third department store food hall and bought some bread for breakfast tomorrow. All in all, another busy, but super fun, day.

1 note · View note

japanicus-nerdus · 8 months

Text

Playing Tourist in Kyoto

Click here for my prior day’s experience in Kameoka, making a “samurai butter knife.” I was in Kyoto spending time with my cousin Jeremy and his girlfriend Alex. Normally, I don’t do the typical “touristy” things when I am in Kyoto. I have been to most if not all of the “to go” places you typically see in articles about Kyoto. Golden Pavillion? Check. SIlver Pavillion? Check. Ryoanji Temple…

View On WordPress

0 notes

samuell2 · 11 months

Text

June 10th — The Golden Temple

On our first day in Kyoto, we headed to the famous Golden Temple and a smaller, operating temple called Daitokuji. Having been a fan of Mishima for some time, and having read his book centered on the Golden Temple, I had pretty high expectations for the temple’s beauty. Honestly, I felt a little disappointed. The golden temple is a very touristy location. I obviously can’t complain about that cause I’m a tourist. Still, the temple atmosphere of calm and serenity was not really present, so it was a little challenging to appreciate the temple’s beauty. Besides, there wasn’t much to do but take pictures and walk a little path around the temple. Again, the weather was pretty cloudy, so the scenery wasn’t the best. The dark green pond wasn’t very pretty either. I don’t wanna complain too much; it was still really cool to see the Golden Temple in person, and of course, expectations based on a book narrated by a delusional monk are bound to be disappointed. Still, I wish the Golden Temple wasn’t so touristy, like the second temple we visited, called Daitokuji. Daitokuji was quiet and serene, with beautiful zen gardens. We were led on a tour through the small main buildings and around the gardens, peeking into the former head priest’s residence. The guide was very helpful, speaking great English and explaining all sorts of Zen philosophies and proverbs. We were left to sit and gaze into the garden for a while. I was surprised to find the garden very comforting and beautiful, especially considering it was basically just a field of white gravel. We even came back for zen meditation, which I’ll write about in a separate post. Today, we also went to a second-hand store in Kyoto, which had amazing prices. For dinner, we went to a restaurant near the station and tore up some charcoal-grilled Wagyu beef and Sushi.

Academic Reflection

I’ve already written a little bit about the Temple of the Golden Pavillion, which was part of our readings for today. As I said, I found the real temple to be a little disappointing, but I still enjoyed the reading itself. Mishima’s writing is beautiful as always, and his portrait of Mizoguchi’s inner world is compelling. Reading the novel also helped me understand the life of Buddhist monks and more about their beliefs, which made both the Golden Temple and the Daitokuji more interesting.

The readings on the Zen garden also gave some critical context to our experience, along with some earlier readings on Zen in the tea ceremony. The readings even mentioned the specific temple we visited and explained the layout of the garden and it’s meaning (though our guide’s explanation was more interesting, considering the garden itself was right in front of us). Doing the readings, I thought I wouldn’t be able to appreciate a garden made of rocks, but after experiencing it in person, I understood how the gardens could aid priests in their meditation.

0 notes

lionellistuff · 11 months

Text

June 10th, Kinkakuji and Daitokuji

Today we went to two places, Kinkakuji (金閣寺), and the Datokuji temple complex (大徳寺). These two places were stunning. Kinkakuji means the temple of the golden pavillion, and true to its name, the entire exterior is covered in gold leaf which makes for a visually striking experience upon arrival to the temple.

We had a great opportunity here to take pictures, and then we continued on to the area where vendors sold temple charms and souvenirs. I got my omikuji here and I got very good fortune!

Later, after eating ramen for lunch, we went to the Datokuji. This area is a huge Zen Buddhist temple complex of about 28 temples! In touring one temple, we were very kindly given a tour by a temple employee who told us a little bit about the teachings of Zen Buddhism, and told us about the rock gardens they have there. Many of the rocks there have names, and each area of the rock garden represents a stage in life. We were even lucky enough to meet the ex-high priest of the temple, who is 91 years old. I will be forever grateful for their kindness.

Academic reflection

In 1950, after standing for almost 500 years, a fanatic monk burned down Kinkakuji. This was the topic of Yukio Mushima’s 1965 book The Temple of the Golden Pavillion, in which the author tries to offer a possible explanation for the arsonization of a national treasure. Mishima theorizes that the monk idealized the temple in his head, building it up to something greater than it ever was, by the time he visited it, he was surely disappointed. In fact, the readings had me start to believe that the temple would be bigger when we got there, but it was actually rather small, but I still found it to be incredibly striking because of its shimmering gilded exterior.

Our experience in Daitokuji was even more interesting. Later today, I went back to the temple to experience zen meditation. Popular culture and our readings led me to believe that meditation is easy, and relaxing, but appearances deceive. Zen meditation means sitting cross legged with a straight back and neck, open eyes, and protruded chest. This was hard on me physically because my legs fell asleep, which made it very hard for me to clear my mind. The monk present can slap on the back you if you give him a signal by folding your hands together, but it didn’t really help me. I still loved the experience, and I felt very at peace while meditating. I highly recommend it!

0 notes

szydlowski · 11 months

Text

June 10 - Kinkakuji and Daitokuji

Today was my first full day in Kyoto. We went to Kinkakuji temple in the morning, where we saw the golden pavilion and walked around. It was crowded with foreign tourists and Japanese kids on school field trips. In the afternoon, we went to Daitokuji, a Zen Buddhist temple with rock gardens. Before, I had never really seen the appeal of rock gardens because on the surface they are very dull, but after the guide explained the meaning behind the placement of each stone, I appreciated the gardens a lot. I even purchased a calligraphy afterward, and had the Zen priest who was there sign it. Seeing the priest's dedication to Zen, even at such an old age, was really inspiring. Afterward, we took the bus back, which took over an hour. I'm a little worried that transportation is going to be harder here than in Tokyo. I wonder why there are not that many trains in Kyoto, but I looked it up and can't find any information on that.

Academic Reflection

We had many readings today, but my favorite was "The Temple of the Gold Pavillion." It was nice to read a novel instead of the usual scholarly article. When seeing Kinkakuji, I completely understood the underwhelming feeling that the narrator of the book had when going there himself. It could be because the book really hyped up the temple, but it could also be the swarms of tourists (myself included) that in my opinion took away from the temple's beauty and serenity. I thought it was really beautiful, but I wish I had more time to just look at it and appreciate it.

As we discussed this morning, Daitokuji is a really religious site for Zen Buddhism, but visiting it in person made me realize its importance even more. It was completely silent there and seemed like the perfect environment for meditation, which is its purpose. I was surprised to meet the previous head priest, as I had the impression that Zen priests are always off on their own meditating or something. After visiting both Kinkakuji and Daitokuji, I was surprised at how different they are. Even though they are both Buddhist temples, one is luxurious and coated in gold, while the other is very plain and modest.

0 notes