Nanzen-ji Temple

Nanzen-ji Temple, Kyoto
南禅寺(京都)

Nanzen-ji (南禅寺) temple is one of headquarters of the Nanzen-ji school of Rinzai zen sect. Originally a retired emperor's detached palace turned into a Zen temple. Like other old temples of Japan, the temple has lost original structures due to fire and war. The temple was restored by donation and the transfer of structures and many paintings from the Imperial Palace and Fushimi Castle which doesn’t exist anymore.


This is San-mon(三門) the main gate of the temple.
It is very familiar to Japanese
because of a Kabuki play about a thief.


"Hatto Hall"
where all the official rites are conducted.


"Kuri" where we enter Hojo.


Next to Kuri there is a gate
only opened for official occasions.


Go into Hojo Abbots' Quarters.


You can enjoy a bowl of green tea
in a room overlooking a pleasant garden.


This is an accompanying sweet with the temple name shown on it.
It doesn’t look good but it tastes much better than it looks.
It was yummy.

a day out to Uji: Tea

Taiho-an Tea House, Uji, Kyoto Pref.
対鳳庵(京都/宇治)

The city of Uji has a tea house, Taiho-an(対鳳庵), open to the public to experience tea ceremony for 500yen.



It literary means
"a hut opposite phoenix hall"
meaning that
it was located the opposite
Byodo-in Phoenix Hall.


It has a small
but decent "roji" garden.


It was built in 1993
and meant to be suitable
for any school of tea ceremony,
include ryurei(立礼), a bench seated, style.



15 of us were
in an 8 and half
tatami-mat size room.


Usually a sweet is served with tea
and corresponds with to the season,
or suited the theme of the tea ceremony.


The sweet had a Kakitsubata iris(杜若) motif
and later a tea was served in a bowl
with a matching motif.
The day I went was a Sunday and many people were waiting. 15 of us were squeezed into a room and the door could hardly be closed. It wasn’t the serene atmosphere needed to appreciate tea ceremony I must say. I recommend that you visit during weekdays or off-season to enjoy a better atmosphere.


You can also enjoy a boat trip on the Uji River.

Since Uji is an important tea producing area, you may see various kinds of green tea flavoured foods.


Green tea flavoured noodles(茶蕎麦) are one of the local specialities.


Cha-dango(茶団子), sweet green tea flavoured sticky rice cakes, are my favourite.

a day out to Uji: Byodo-in Temple

Byodo-in Temple, Uji, Kyoto Pref.
平等院(京都/宇治)

I visited Byodo-in(平等院) temple and Fushimi-Inari Shrine(伏見稲荷) with friends.

Byodo-in is in Uji(宇治), about 15 minutes south of Kyoto by JR train from Kyoto Station.


Uji is one of the main tea producing areas in Japan though it isn’t always recognized as such elsewhere in Japan. Indeed it might be the oldest active tea producing area in the country, it goes back to the Kamakura period(1185-1333). It’s easy to imagine how prosperous the business was in the past judging by the size of the many old tea merchant houses remaining today.


The photo shows the Kanbayashi(上林) residence, one of the oldest tea merchant family homes, which is now open to public as a museum.


The area’s main attraction is Byodo-in temple which was designated as a World National Heritage Site in 1994. Since then the number of visitors dramatically increased, it is rather a pity that it has lost its layed-back atmosphere as a temple in the country. At the same time my local pride is pleased with the appreciation of its value.


Byodo-in’s Phoenix Hall(鳳凰堂) is one of only a few surviving examples of Heian period (794-1185) architecture. Most of the period’s structures have been lost to fire or war. It is a fine example from the era. The hall is praised for its symmetrical beauty and can be seen on the tail of 10 yen coins.

In the past visitors could casually walk in the hall, but now we must be guided in groups of 50 people, so inside is always full. There’s good side to it, we can benefit from the guides knowledge which helps us appreciate its value. –Unfortunately guided tours are only in Japanese.


Where the old treasure house stood The Byodo-in Museum(平等院鳳翔館) was built in 2001. Architect Akira Kuryu(栗生明) won an award for its design. It is a very modern but discreet building and doesn’t distract from the view of the temple.