Posts from — April 2003

Clear your mind, clear your desktop. Click for 800 X 600 (others if requested)

1024 X 768, for the homies

In 794, Emperor Kammu proclaimed this valley Heian-kyo, the capital of peace, which turned out to be rather ironic, but lots of things do. It was the capital for over 1100 years, as the Imperial family was there, but for most of that time it was the capital in name only.

Some info by request from a reader: There are about 1.5 million residents of Kyoto city, and about 40 million visitors per year, so yes, tourism is an important part of the economy.
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It can be done right, see, so why is so little done to preserve the architectural heritage of Kyoto? I used to be a beat reporter in San Juan Capistrano , California, a historical city which has very strict design guidelines making almost all construction subject to approval by a planning commission, design review commission and cultural heritage commission. Shops can not have big signs, none of the allowable signs are illuminated from the inside, no neon, no billboards along highways, and a lot more.

Again, taken Saturday on my whirlwind Kyoto tour. It was the first time I had been there since 1996 with my Mom. click the image for 800 X 600 dektop background and marvel to yourself, “It looks just like the postcards!” Kinkakuji was built in 1397, but it was completely burned in 1950 by an obsessed monk, and this one dates from 1955.

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The mysterious garden of Ryoan-ji, built sometime by somebody, but no one really knows when or who. Probably in the 1400′s-1700′s, but that’s a big window. Unfortunately, this meditation garden seems always to be the noisiest place in Kyoto. The rest of the gardens at Ryoan-ji are worth looking at, and Mason Florence writes in the Lonely Planet Kyoto Guide that if you go early in the morning, you can get a little more peace for your meditation. Kennin-ji in Gion and Tofukuji down south offer quieter conditions for refelection at karesansui (dry landscape) rock gardens.

Kiyomizu-dera was built in 798, and rebuilt in 1633, so they should get about 500 more years out of the current timbers, if things go well. This veranda, built without a single nail, is immortalized in the Japanese expression, “Kiyomizu no butai kara tobioriru”, to jump off the veranda at Kiyomizu-dera, which describes something done with reckless daring. This is one of the basic cliche photos that you must take in Kyoto.