Osaka and Kyoto Photos

April 12 - Friday: Osaka-Kyoto

Okay, we have yet to sort out and memorize the kings and dynasties of Japan, but we get it that this Osaka Castle is the biggest, built as a show of power by Toyotomi Hideyoshi after he unified Japan.  We're trying to associate his name with "Toyota Hide and Seek" and that works for a while.  The original was finished in 1583 and was destroyed and rebuilt several times as the powers shifted.  This one was rebuilt in 1931 and restored in 1997 as a museum.

We go up the central elevator for a spectacular view of Osaka, and come down 8 stories of displays. Dick gets a great kick out of trying on the Samuari Warrior head gear and taking pictures of the kids doing the same.

There is a time capsule in the area in front of the castle to be opened every 100 years. Can you see what looks like and 12 foot metal lid?  Next opening is 2070. 

 Mystery: The stones in the walls are huge!  How did they carve and place such huge stones?  The biggest stone sits just inside the front gate and is estimated to weigh 100 tons.

Cherry blossoms still bright

 

 

 On to Nara and the largest wooden Temple in Japan

We're out of the castle by 10:30 and on to Nara, the oldest capitol city of Japan. Nara has the largest wooden building in Japan with the largest bronze statue of Buddha, about 45 feet tall. He has 996 curls' on his head! A Buddha statue this big needs big helper statues and they are pretty amazing too. 

Of course the largest wooden building would need mammoth wood columns holding up the roof and one of them has a hole in the bottom of it.  Perhaps a builder's error but there's a myth to make it a very busy place. It's just big enough for thin people to crawl through.   If you can crawl through it, your future is bright.  Non of our group fit but we hope for bright futures anyway.

This Todaiji Temple is surrounded by a park with lots of friendly Sika deer and crowded with school children on outings with their parents and teachers.  It's a fashion show.  Each teacher has about 8 students and on this day the parents get all dressed up to accompany their child.  Mirei says the dress gets a bit competitive and the parents definitely want to impress each other and the teacher.  They certainly impressed us. Those adorable little children were not at all camera shy and the parents seemed very pleased to have us taking photos of them.  I've included several at the end of the blog.

Statue for medical prayers

Tea ceremony aboard a boat in Uji City

We have lunch somewhere (I forget) and drive to Uji City, on of the most picturesque cities in Japan, for tea ceremony aboard a boat.  Most more local tourists take off their shoes and sit on the boat floor, but for us westerners, they have put tables and short chairs on the boat. To make the special Macha tea you pick the freshest sprouts of tea leaves, sun dry them, and grind them to powder. Then for the ceremony you plan to sit about for an hour or two to boil water while hearing the history of the tea, measure the Macha into the bowl, whip it into a froth, pass the bowl in a certain way and receive it one way, turn it 180 degrees in two movements, sip, wipe edge.  What next?  One could spend lots of money on this special Mancha tea and we think it's fun but we're not buying any to bring home. The view of the canal from the boat is worth the trip, lovely water, cherry trees and other flowers, bonsai trees, red bridge, gracious hosts.  Nice.

 




 





Kiymizu Temple:

Back on the coach and we're eager to get to Kyoto, an historic city never bombed During WWII. We stop at one more beautiful garden and temple on the way. The Kiymizu Temple is fine (original and built in 1633) and the red bridge over the pond is beautiful.  Here the worshippers almost seem to outnumber the tourists. 

We're impressed with Kyoto but most interested in the fact that we will stay in the same hotel for two (2), count 'em, nights.