Hong Kong: Tian Tan Buddha

When we had finished lunch, we stepped outside to find no rain.  We felt like we had won the weather lottery.  Well aware that the rain could start again any minute, we got right to seeing the sights.  

The main temple of Po Lin Monastery was beautiful.  Surrounded by trees and flowers, it rose upwards towards the cloudy skies.  Red and gold, the Chinese colors for happiness and prosperity, adorned almost everything inside the temple.  The sounds of chanting monks floated through the air as we wandered about soaking in the beauty.  (I am sure the chanting was either a pre-recording or from a microphone, but despite this it still provided lovely ambience.) 

From the stairs of the temple we could see the Buddha: our next destination.

We walked over to the base of the enormous Buddha.  Just barely two decades old, this is the largest seated outdoor Buddha statue in the world.  It was magnificent.  Perched upon its plinth which rests at the top of a staggering staircase, it maintains a commanding position amidst the mountains of Lantau Island. 

A small museum is inside the Buddha.  We were able to read about the history surrounding the Buddha and see many beautiful articles linked to its creation. (Pictures were not allowed inside.)

When we had had our fill of the magnificence, we made our way back to the small “village” of Ngong Ping.  (It’s really just a street full of tourist related stores and attractions, not an actual village.)  We stopped to see the small production called, “Walking with Buddha.”  Though somewhat clichéd in its presentation, it did provide some interesting information on the origins of Buddhism. 

We happened to be passing by a tea shop right as they were offering a free tea ceremony demonstration.  We stopped in to have a cup.  It was delicious, though not quite as fascinating as the tea class we would attend the following week. 

Before catching the ropeway back down to the train station, we had some delicious lychee gelato.  Lychee is a ubiquitous fruit in Hong Kong.  We found lychee flavored sweets everywhere during our stay, which is nothing to complain about-they are delicious! 

 

As we began the journey descending the mountain, it began to rain heavily again.  We could not believe our luck!

Hong Kong: Po Lin Monastery

The best time to travel to Hong Kong is not when we went.  All the travel research we did said to go in the Autumn-October and November are the best.  Winter is cool and cloudy.  In Spring, the rains begin.  In Summer, the humidity is unbearable.   But alas.  Our vacation time is somewhat rigid.  So we had to go when we could.

So spring it was.  We crossed our fingers and prayed for no rain. 

Doing our best to will good weather to come our way, we hit the ground running.  On our first day, we set out to see one of the biggest attractions in Hong Kong: The Po Lin Monastery and the enormous Buddha on Lantau Island.

There are three ways to reach the mountains  on which Po Lin Monastery and the Buddha are perched: bus, walking, or ropeway. 

Always up for adventuring, we headed for the ropeway.  The weather was behaving at sea level, but the tops of the mountains were shrouded in suspicious looking clouds.  Hoping for the best, we began our thirty minutes ascent.

Less than halfway up the mountain, we were enveloped by low clouds.  We couldn’t see anything but white.  Then the wind picked up.  And the rain started pouring.  We swayed precariously back and forth, praying to God the wind wouldn’t get worse. 

We finally made it.  Our only greeting at the top was a sign informing us of a “hoisted thunderstorm warning.”   Yikes.  

Some people turned around and went right back down.  Some pulled out their rain gear and braved the pouring rain.  Some just waited.

 

We stood and waited for about fifteen minutes.  The rain eventually lessened enough for our wimpy umbrellas to handle, and we made a run for it. We made it to the first goal: the Po Lin Monastery vegetarian restaurant. 

As we sat down to eat our simple lunch, we hoped the rain would go away… 

Senso Ji Temple and Asakusa Shrine

If you are coming to Japan for a trip and plan on spending some time in Tokyo, chances are you will find your way to this temple and shrine.

Detail on the side of the Senso Ji.  In case you are wondering, here is a good explanation of the swastika.

Asakusa district is one of the biggest tourist areas in Tokyo.  It is surrounded by outdoors malls full of tourist shops all full of the same souvenirs.  There are also a few nearby shrines, plenty of good restaurants, karaoke bars and even a small amusement park.  

Souvenir shops are still closed in the early morning.

I have been to visit Asakusa Shrine and Sensoji Temple many times during my time living in Japan.  But by far, the best time was this last January.

Tokyo is the biggest city in the world based on population.  This teeming megalopolis is home to 13,000,000 people.  It gets crowded.  Add a bunch of commuters, visitors, and tourists and the result is city crowded enough to drive anyone crazy. 

Because of the major crowds, I suggest you visit popular temples and shrines as early as possible-as soon as they open is desirable.  Dragging yourself out of bed on a chilly morning might be difficult, but the crisp cool air, quiet, and lack of bustling crowds make it worth the annoyance a thousand times over.  

The entrance to Senso Ji early in the morning.  By mid morning, it is packed with people.

The first several times I visited Sensoji Temple, we came mid-day.  It was insane every time.  So crowded you could not move individually-you became a part of a crowd that had to move in unison.  Not for the claustrophobic.  When we went this year to get our omikuji-this year’s fortune-we woke up very early and walked the few blocks from the youth hostel at which we were staying.  We were at the temple at about six am. 

It was stunningly quiet and serene in the light of dawn.  The only thing to be heard was the Buddhist monks chanting from within the temple.  

The temple all decorated for the new year.

Definitely worth the early start. 

And afterwards, nothing beats an early morning cup of coffee and some fat pancakes at a nearby cafe.  

Hasedera

After admiring the Diabutsu for a period of time, we pulled out the map our youth hostel had provided.  When we had identified the closest recommended temple for sightseeing, we mounted our rented bicycles and were on our way.   

Hasedera stands out in my mind as one of the more beautiful temple complexes I have visited in Japan thus far.  Nestled on the side of a hill, you must climb several flights of stairs to reach the temple itself.  On the way to the main temple, there are many other lovely things to catch your eye. 

We thoroughly explored the whole complex.  The last area we saw were the underground tunnels.  Hunched over, we made our way through the dimly lit tunnels, admiring the plethora of little Buddha images.  When we emerged from the caves, it had started to rain. 

Hoping the weather would change it’s mind and stop raining, we checked the map again and continued on to our next destination. 

Dojoji Temple

After driving back to Kyoto city from Amanohashidate, we were dropped off at Kyoto Station.  Though the official weekend was over, we still had three days off from our Japanese classes.  This was because of the Obon Holiday. 

Instead of pouting because of missing three full days of classes (and still paying for them), we leapt at the opportunity to explore more of Japan.  From Kyoto, we got on an express train and headed south into Wakayama.  

Photo credit: http://jahmp.org/history.php?t=Issei

Last year while studying at Yamasa, we met a friend who happens to live in Wakayama.  She generously invited us down to visit her for a few days.  We accepted. 

Wakayama Prefecture is south of Kyoto in the central area of Japan.  It is considered to be a relatively “inaka” (rural) area.  Half of the prefecture is coastal area, the other half mountainous.  We were able to see a bit of both sides during our trip. 

One of the first places we visited was Dodoji Temple.  This temple is surrounded by interesting history and stories.  The story surrounding the Dojoji Temple is one of unrequited love.  This stop animation video from the 1970's offers a silent depiction of the story:  (Note-As I researched this story, I found a number of summaries with slight variants.  This is a simple summary in my own words.)

An old Buddhist priest, accompanied by a young Buddhist priest, stop to rest on their journey.  The daughter of the home at which they stay falls in love with the young priest.  He flees her advances and seeks refuge at Dojoji Temple. The resident priests hide him in a bell.  During her pursuit of her unrequited love, she is consumed with rage and transforms into a serpent.  When she reaches Dojoji, she senses the young priests presence within the bell and destroys him with her flames after which she drowns herself.

Pretty cheery stuff.

This story has also been famously adapted for both Noh-traditional Japanese theater, and for Kabuki-Japanese classical singing and dancing drama.  I managed to find a complete performance of the Kabuki version. 

Photo Credit: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O446938/noh-mask-suzuki-nohjin/

 This link provides some more information on the different types of performances that the story has been told using. 

This photo is a good example of a typical Noh mask.  The demon face is a common image used in Japanese style tattoos.

We explored the ground of the temple and paid to go inside the museum.  The original bell does not exist any longer, but we were able to see the very impressive replica along with many other stunning images in the form of statue, painting, and textile.  It was truly fascinating.

Though a bit far removed from the typical Japanese tourist plans, I highly recommend exploring Dojoji Temple to anyone who finds themselves exploring Wakayama. 

One of the two guardians at the gate.

The main temple.

A Buddha.

Petitions.

Lotus flower blooming in front of the temple.

Higashi Hongan Ji 東本願寺

Across the street from our Ryokan in Kyoto, there stood an impressive looking temple-Higashi Hongan Ji Temple.  Not having much time to explore Kyoto, we decided to get up early the following morning to go have a look before heading off to our next big destination.

The streets of Kyoto were still at six in the morning.  We walked over, slipped off our shoes and walked up the steep wooden stairs to peek inside the temple.  Beautiful chanting was drifting through the open doors.  A service was taking place.  The temple members and the Buddhist monks steady chants were lovely. 

 

It is especially at times such as this that wish I knew more about Buddhism.  We have learned a bit about religion in Japan, but I still feel like I know next to nothing.  I do know that the two prominent religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism.  Most religious Japanese people practice both religions.

I have heard that Shintoism is the religion of life.  All celebrations including life-new life, marriages, etc.-are celebrated in the Shinto tradition.  In fact, there are no funerals held at Shinto Shrines.  Buddhism takes care of life after death.  Funerals are held at Buddhist Temples.  The cremated bodies are placed in the burial grounds that can be found at every Buddhist Temple.

If you have any good recommendations of books on this subject, please leave me a note!