{"id":1799,"date":"2011-06-18T00:40:10","date_gmt":"2011-06-17T15:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-06-18\/1799"},"modified":"2011-06-18T00:40:10","modified_gmt":"2011-06-17T15:40:10","slug":"kyotos-shimyouin-temple-exceedingly-remote-bashful-and-serene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-06-18\/1799","title":{"rendered":"Kyoto’s Shimyouin Temple: Exceedingly Remote, Bashful, and Serene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 900 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPrivate Viewing<\/span>\nHouse-side garden at the Shimyouin Temple (\u5fd7\u660e\u9662)<\/span>\nremote northern mountains of Kyoto Japan\n<\/div>\n\n

During yesterday's trip into the woods of northern Kyoto<\/a>, we came across the remote\nShimyouin Temple (\u5fd7\u660e\u9662)<\/span> at the end of a dead<\/span>-end road that branches off from another dead-end road; in other words, it's remote.<\/p>\n\n

As I wrote yesterday, I was with<\/span> Paul Barr and Katsunori Shimada, and we\nwere out on one of our photo expeditions, having spent the previous two\nThursdays similarly occupied in Uji (as evidenced by many posts recent,\nsuch as this<\/a>, this<\/a>, this<\/a>, and many more I've\nyet to write). We take a<\/span> lot<\/i> of photos among us because that's our\nmain goal, yet it speaks as a testament<\/span> to yesterday's Shimyouin Temple\nthat we spent the better part of two hours enjoying it without taking a\nsingle<\/span> photo among us<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>100 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGarden and Background Waterfall<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/7.1, ISO 3600 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNo Cameras Beyond This Point<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Photography is completely forbidden beyond the big gate through which\nthe path leads up the mountain to the main temple and its various\nassociated sites; we had to leave our cameras at the priest's house by the\nparking lot. They feel that the area is too holy to allow photography\n(though I don't<\/span> understand the relationship between the two).<\/p>\n\n

I didn't enjoy that I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but it's their land<\/a> and I'm\nfree to leave if I don't<\/span> agree to their rules. I'm glad I<\/span> stayed, because\nafter paying the 300 yen to enter, dropping off my camera, and passing\nthrough the gate and heading up the mountain to the temple and its various\nsites, I thoroughly<\/span> enjoyed myself. It's not that<\/span> it was particularly\nspectacular in any particular way, but it felt completely “real” and\nnoncommercial. In comparison, a popular<\/span> tourist spot like the Kiyomizu Temple<\/a> feels\nas superficial as Disneyland.<\/p>\n\n

They have a little waterfall\/fountain that claims to be the source of\nthe Kamo River that runs down the eastern length of Kyoto. It wasn't more\nthan a small<\/span> stream up there, but by the time it gets to the city proper,\nit can be quite the angry\nriver<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGate and Steps Beyond<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

As nice as the site was, the real treat for me was chatting with the\npriest and his wife. The wife had<\/span> lived at the site for 42 years, since\nmarrying the priest, and was as cute as a button.<\/span> We were talking<\/span> about\nliving life so remotely, and she lamented that the best they could do for\nan Internet connection was ISDN (a technology<\/span> so slow that it would take\nthe better part of 30 seconds to download just the first thumbnail in this\npost). The way<\/i> she pouted as she said osoi mon...<\/i> (“it's so\nslow”) was cute beyond words. I guess<\/span> you had to be there.<\/p>\n\n

Paul and I enjoyed a lazy coffee in the house while viewing the garden\nand the rain, while Shimada-san opted for green tea. We were in<\/span> no rush\nabout anything. It was really<\/span> nice. We had the<\/span> place to ourselves the entire\ntime.<\/p>\n\n

Eventually the priest, Masumi Tanaka (\u7530\u4e2d\u771f\u6f84)<\/span> returned home, and we\nall chatted. He's 72, looks and acts much younger, and is full of\npersonality. Sadly, they declined my request to take their portrait (“It's\nembarrassing!”), but a web<\/span> search found them in this\nphoto<\/a> flanking a visitor<\/span> two weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n

However, he did grant us permission to take photos of the garden from\nthe house, so it's at that time we broke out the cameras, and one such\nphoto leads this post.<\/p>\n\n

One of the stone lanterns in the garden reminded me more of the\nVancouver Olympic symbol than a Japanese<\/span> stone lantern...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 4000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

As I started to write this post, I compared<\/span> the time of the first garden\nphoto to the time of a photo<\/span> I took<\/span> in the parking lot when we arrived (of\na sign<\/span> showing the name of the temple). I'd expected<\/span> that it might be 30 or\n45 minutes that we had enjoyed the temple and the garden, so was quite\nsurprised to find that we had lolled around for 110 minutes. I guess<\/span> it was\njust that enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nPriest's House<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLooking Down to the Parking Lot<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 320 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMonks' Quarters<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The temple is apparently a training ground for the “marathon monks” of\nnearby Mt. Hiei<\/a>, though none are in residence at the moment. (Kyoto\nfriend Nils Ferry wrote a couple<\/span> of years ago a bit<\/span> about one of these\n“marathon monks”, the 50th person — in the last 426 years — to\ncomplete the full 1,000 day ordeal, here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n

There were a few stone things near the parking lot (not lanterns, but\nmore like tabernacles of some kind), covered with moss and ferns, which is always\npretty...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 3200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1800 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The priest and his wife both speak a bit<\/span> of English, and they welcome\nvisitors and even small groups, and are quite friendly. Extremely off the\nbeaten path and difficult to get to without a car<\/span> (the nearest bus service\ncomes as close as a mile<\/span> away, but it will end early next year), but highly\nrecommended if you bring the right attitude to appreciate what the place\nand its people has to offer.<\/p>\n\n

Continued here...<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During yesterday's trip into the woods of northern Kyoto, we came across the remote Shimyouin Temple (\u5fd7\u660e\u9662) at the end of a dead-end road that branches off from another dead-end road; in other words, it's remote.<\/p>

As I wrote yesterday, I was with Paul Barr and Katsunori Shimada, and we were out on one of our photo expeditions, having spent the previous two Thursdays similarly occupied in Uji (as evidenced by many posts recent, such as this, this, this, and many more I've yet to write). We take a lot of photos among us because that's our main goal, yet [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}