Tag Archives: Temples

Field Snapshot: Kōdai-ji, Kyōto, Japan (25 November 2016)

Following my customary walking route through Kyōto’s Higashiyama district, I began with Kiyomizu-dera and gradually worked my way north, pausing for the usual refreshment break at my favourite tea house. Further on into the stroll, I entered a well-known landmark for the first time in years, having skipped it a couple of times after myContinue reading “Field Snapshot: Kōdai-ji, Kyōto, Japan (25 November 2016)”

Field Report: Kiyomizu-dera, Kyōto, Japan (25 November 2016)

Kyōto’s Higashiyama district is an area I’ve grown rather fond of, and quite familiar with, through my regular visits to Japan’s former capital. Since I first came here several years ago, I’ve seen a few things change – and not always for the better. The crowds, for one, have grown so unbelievably thick as toContinue reading “Field Report: Kiyomizu-dera, Kyōto, Japan (25 November 2016)”

Field Report: Kinosaki Onsen and Kyōto, Japan (09 July 2015)

Who on earth travels a great distance to see an onsen town and doesn’t even bother trying the onsen? (This is where I sheepishly raise my hand and attempt an explanation.)

Field Report: Facing the ghosts of warriors past at Hiraizumi, Japan (03 July 2015)

When I awoke one balmy July morning last year to find Tōkyō in the midst of a heavy shower, I settled upon a simple solution to salvage the day: flee hundreds of miles north to the sunnier, drier environs of Iwate Prefecture. There, I would soak up not summer rain but the glorious memories ofContinue reading “Field Report: Facing the ghosts of warriors past at Hiraizumi, Japan (03 July 2015)”

Field Report: Old buildings and new blossoms in Fukuoka, Japan (28 March 2015)

It might come as a surprise to many of us – as it certainly did to me – that the very first Zen temple founded in Japan isn’t located somewhere in the ancient imperial streets of Kyōto or the time-hallowed precincts of Nara, but right in the bustling downtown of Fukuoka.