Kawayurei to issho ni biyooki wa kuru
Happy Thanksgiving! On Turkey Day (purely by chance) the Tsunemi lab took an excursion en masse to Kyoto. The trip is about an hour by train from Osaka U. to Arashiyama, on the outskirts of the former capital. Arashiyama is home to one of the most famous Zen Buddhist temples in Kyoto, Tenryuji, or "Heaven Dragon Temple".
The activities began with a stroll through Tenryuji, which was rather crowded, but the trees were in full color and it was really quite nice. Like many ancient buildings built primarily of wood, the temple has burned down and been rebuilt several times during its 666 (hmm) years, most recently in the late 19th century. The gardens have apparently been untouched by these fires, and are a national treasure.
After the temple we hopped on another train for a short ride into the mountains, and had a tasty lunch of yakiniku (lit. "grilled meat"). Then it was off to the Hozu river and a two-hour boat ride downstream, back to Arashiyama. The boat ride took us through the mountains, which were spectacular in the late afternoon sun.
I have photos with commentary. Alas, my camera did a very poor job capturing the colors in many of the shots, which is dissappointing. But the trip, though not exactly a solitary, spiritual experience, was really a lot of fun.
The spirits of the river ("kawayurei"; yes, I made that up) saw fit to give me a cold, so yesterday and today haven't been much fun. Or perhaps I contracted malaria from the mosquitoes that attacked when we slowed down and tied up to the concession boat.
Friday afternoon saw the sumo bout of the basho, with unbeaten yokozuna Asashoryu squaring off against 9-3 Kotooshu. The rest, as they say, is history. With Kotooshu's win over the Big Man, he is almost assured promotion to ozeki. Because one of his ten wins was a forfeit, however, one more win over a current ozeki will seal the deal. With two days left in the tournament, things are getting interesting.
The activities began with a stroll through Tenryuji, which was rather crowded, but the trees were in full color and it was really quite nice. Like many ancient buildings built primarily of wood, the temple has burned down and been rebuilt several times during its 666 (hmm) years, most recently in the late 19th century. The gardens have apparently been untouched by these fires, and are a national treasure.
After the temple we hopped on another train for a short ride into the mountains, and had a tasty lunch of yakiniku (lit. "grilled meat"). Then it was off to the Hozu river and a two-hour boat ride downstream, back to Arashiyama. The boat ride took us through the mountains, which were spectacular in the late afternoon sun.
I have photos with commentary. Alas, my camera did a very poor job capturing the colors in many of the shots, which is dissappointing. But the trip, though not exactly a solitary, spiritual experience, was really a lot of fun.
The spirits of the river ("kawayurei"; yes, I made that up) saw fit to give me a cold, so yesterday and today haven't been much fun. Or perhaps I contracted malaria from the mosquitoes that attacked when we slowed down and tied up to the concession boat.
Friday afternoon saw the sumo bout of the basho, with unbeaten yokozuna Asashoryu squaring off against 9-3 Kotooshu. The rest, as they say, is history. With Kotooshu's win over the Big Man, he is almost assured promotion to ozeki. Because one of his ten wins was a forfeit, however, one more win over a current ozeki will seal the deal. With two days left in the tournament, things are getting interesting.
posted by Eric M. at 4:00 PM
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