A fine place to meditate

Kyoto is synonymous with temples. They are EVERYWHERE. And, as you might expect, with temples come hordes of tourists. Take Kinkakuji, the Golden Palace, for example. This potentially nice temple is just packed to the gills. So, unless you like shuffling along behind elderly Candian tour groups for the better part of an hour, don't go. In fact, just to make it easier for you, here's a photo of the main exhibit:

There, now you've seen it!

However, with the amount of temples that Kyoto has, some of them are purely marvelous, and sans crowds. My favorite was Tofukuji in the southeastern part of the city - it's an easy name to remember because it sounds like a delicious dish, right? It is tucked away 15 minutes from the closest bus stop, no signposts to be found, in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Entering is quite a sight, as it boasts a magnificent Doto Garan complex. It also has a lovely creek with covered bridges and a delightful checkerboard-groomed rock garden.

A great discovery! And, it had the added bonus of being the place where Shingo meditated as a young adult. Walking around, it's easy to see why this would be such a great place for that. It is making me excited for my upcoming meditation in Bali!