It might finally happen ...

[spacecadet]

Yeah, but considering I do Kyudo, I really HAVE to see sanjusengendo at least ;)

 

Sanjusangendo is cool, but unless I missed some of it (which is possible), the main attraction is really just that one building with the 1,000 buddhas.  Still worth visiting, though, especially if you have a personal connection to it.

 

But I really recommend seeing Kiyomizu temple too, which is truly amazing and will really make you feel like you are in some historical Japanese movie.  Provided you go at a time when it's not being occupied by an entire Australian high school :)

 

(Tour groups actually kind of drive me crazy in temples, because a lot of people don't realize temples are not just historical tourist spots, they're still working religious sites where people are praying.  I've seen some atrocious manners at temples in Kyoto.)

 

I've actually been to a bunch of temples in Japan (both in Kyoto and in Tokyo/Narita) and honestly, most of them are kind of similar in a lot of ways... Kiyomizu is the one that stands out for me.

 

In Tokyo, also be sure to visit the Meiji Shrine, which is not buddhist (if that matters to you) but is just an amazing place, especially considering where it is.

[keitaro]

Yeah, but considering I do Kyudo, I really HAVE to see sanjusengendo at least ;)

 

Sanjusangendo is cool, but unless I missed some of it (which is possible), the main attraction is really just that one building with the 1,000 buddhas.  Still worth visiting, though, especially if you have a personal connection to it.

 

But I really recommend seeing Kiyomizu temple too, which is truly amazing and will really make you feel like you are in some historical Japanese movie.  Provided you go at a time when it's not being occupied by an entire Australian high school :)

 

(Tour groups actually kind of drive me crazy in temples, because a lot of people don't realize temples are not just historical tourist spots, they're still working religious sites where people are praying.  I've seen some atrocious manners at temples in Kyoto.)

 

I've actually been to a bunch of temples in Japan (both in Kyoto and in Tokyo/Narita) and honestly, most of them are kind of similar in a lot of ways... Kiyomizu is the one that stands out for me.

 

In Tokyo, also be sure to visit the Meiji Shrine, which is not buddhist (if that matters to you) but is just an amazing place, especially considering where it is.

 

Ones in remote locations are the best IMO up in wakayama there is a really good one in the forrest i don't know the name sorry and it's just like the ones you see in animes tucked away but really mysterius

[Martijn Meerts]

The thing with sanjusangendo, is that they have annual archery competitions there. In the old days, they had to shoot as many arrows as they could over a distance of some 120 meters, and they had to do so 24 hours straight. The record holder (from way back in the late 1600s) shot an average of 1 arrow every 6 seconds. Towards the end, they actually had to fasten the bow to his hand, because he couldn't hold on to it anymore. You can still see a lot of damaged beams and pillars because of archers missing, or shooting too high. The modern version is over a distance of 60 meters, and no longer 24 hours straight :)

 

I'm always respectful whenever I'm in a temple or church, or any religious place, whether it's still in use or not. I also seldom take pictures of the interiors of such place, and prefer to buy an official book of the place if they have it available.

 

I'll put Kiyomizu on the list of places to visit :)

[disturbman]

Don't forget to visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, it's really impressive.

[spacecadet]

I also seldom take pictures of the interiors of such place, and prefer to buy an official book of the place if they have it available.

 

Yeah, if I remember right, Sanjusangendo doesn't allow photos inside the main building, which is kind of a drag because that's the best part.  Still, if you do a Google search you can see how many people ignore that restriction.  I didn't, though, so I don't have any pictures of it inside.  I don't think they had a book or anything to buy either, or I probably would have bought it.

 

If you like historical stuff, don't forget to visit the National Museum in Tokyo (largest collection of Japanese historical artifacts anywhere), and I just went to the Imperial Palace grounds on my last trip there and that was pretty amazing too.  You can't go in the actual palace, but there are a lot of structures just around the palace grounds and in the gardens that are hundreds of years old or more.  And to me, it's also neat to see the imprints of structures that are no longer there, like for example you can see the stone blocks with the holes drilled in them for the gates that would have been in place in the Edo period, and you can then imagine these giant wooden gates with guard towers along the walls (the walls really do date back that far, or further).  People don't usually think of Tokyo as a historical city and most of it isn't, but that actually makes places like the Imperial Palace that much more interesting, because right smack in the middle of this ultra-modern city, there's this huge area that's barely been touched in the last 400 years.  And you can totally see how the grounds were laid out to keep invaders at bay, with these twisty little roads covered by multiple walls and gates, and high ground where archers could just rain down arrows onto any invaders below.  And you can walk those same paths and just imagine how it must have been.

[Martijn Meerts]

Spacecadet, it's the same with all the castles in Europe, there's quite a few of them that are many hundred years old. Also, walking around in Rome is pretty impressive, and visiting the Colosseum and then imaging all the emperors and gladiators that have been there.. Well, it's just really hard to imagine :)