Day 12; May 17, 2016
This morning we were to take a river boat trip to Senkoji Temple, but it had rained during the night and the water level had risen so we weren't able to take the boat (apparently the oars had to touch the bottom). So we walked down a path beside the waterway where we were to have gone by boat. We had to walk 200+ steps up a hill to get to the temple. The 400 year old Senkoji Temple was once a prayer temple for Emperor Gosaga but was severely damaged by a major pyphoon in 1959. They are struggling financially to rebuild the main hall so the Grand Circle Foundation is funding the rebuild of the handrails and steps on the main approach slope.At the temple we had a chance to practice Zen meditation and read a chant lead by a Buddhist monk. We also experienced another aspect of Zen by partaking in a simple Japanese tea ceremony, called sado. The monk taught us how to creased the beverage by placing powdered tea called matcha in a teacup, covering it with hot water, and whipping it with a bamboo whisk until it foamed slightly. I didn't really care for it, but, of course, I drink it.
After the temple visit, we journeyed to Kameoka, a city in the countryside near Kyoto, where we visited Heki-tei, a 300 year old house where a famous samurai once lived. The house is now owned by the Heki family, whose ancestors were notable property owners in Kameoka. There we learned to prepare makizushi (rolled sushi) which we ate for lunch along with all sorts of tempura, include chrysanthemums.
