Shapes
Patterns
Lines in the gravel
Timeline
We sit on the wooden planks in silence. We observe the zen garden and the lines in the gravel.
How old are these planks? How many seasons have they seen? How many visitors have sat here listening o their thoughts?
Shrine
Ryoan-ji Temple
Ryōan-ji Temple is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto. It belongs to the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism. The Ryōan-ji garden is considered one of the finest surviving examples of kare-sansui (“dry landscape”).
The temple’s name is synonymous with the temple’s famous Zen garden, the karesansui (dry landscape) rock garden, thought to have been built in the late 15th century.
The garden is a rectangle of twenty-five meters by ten meters. Placed within it are fifteen stones of different sizes, carefully composed into five groups; one group of five stones, two groups of three, and two groups of two stones. The stones are surrounded by white gravel, carefully raked daily by the monks. The only vegetation in the garden is some moss around the stones.
The visitors sit on a wooden platform and observe the garden in silence as in meditation.
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion
Today is the day. We go to the Temple of the Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji). Our first temple in Kyoto. This is the temple I read about when I was a teenager in the famous novel by Yukio Mishima.
The novel follows the protagonist, Mizoguchi, who feels alienated and insecure due to a stutter and a club foot. He becomes obsessed with the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, a beautiful temple that symbolises perfection and purity. Mizoguchi becomes a student at the temple and eventually burns it down in an act of rebellion. The novel explores themes of beauty and destruction. It is considered one of Mishima’s best works.
We follow the path towards the pond where the pavilion sits. I have the image in my mind that I built while reading the book, and in a few seconds, I will see the real one. The path turns right. Then to the left. Some trees and bushes only allow us to see a little further.
One last turn, and here we are. The pond and the Golden Pavilion are on the other side. It’s two floors golden. The smooth lines are immersed in the garden.
There is no wind. We hear some birds. It is still early, and just a few tourists are taking photos and walking around.
The image in front of me is like a painting where the artist has carefully through the details and harmony of the composition. A man-made representation of an ideal elegant reality that shapes the design of the building and the trees and nature surrounding it.
Youth hostel
Back to Kyoto.
During the trip, we have been staying in youth hostels. Nice, small, and clean. We were surprised when we arrived at Kyoto’s Youth Hostel: the Kyoto Utano Youth Hostel.
It is large. Modern. Immersed in a park. It has essential architecture, straight lines that intersect perpendicularly. We stay in a very comfortable Japanese room with a nice tatami and futon that we need to unfurl for the night.
In the common kitchen, the travellers prepare their dinner and eat together while chatting about the places they have visited.
I have always loved staying in youth hostels.
Remember
Today I take a break from Japan to remember.
Coffee place
The first day of discovering Kyoto. Our first stop is a coffee place where we wait for the sudden summer rain to stop—just the time for a coffee and some snacks. I observe the chef working in the open kitchen. He seems lost in his thoughts while preparing the dishes he has been preparing for a long time.
It is an old-style coffee place. On a shelf, there is a dial phone that is from another era. The short menus are hidden behind salt and pepper.
Time has slowed down in this coffee place.
