As predicted, today was a dull but mild day with the rain it sounds like Calgary needs! After our morning met-up at KG we walked to the Shinnyoji Temple. We were greeted by a Monk and his wife who are the caretakers of the temple. We enjoyed a tea ceremony drinking Macha tea and a sweet - basically a hard meringue square. We were then led through about 1/2 hour of Zazen meditation inc,using 15 minutes of total silence and meditation. He reminded us of how important it is to empty your mind and stay balanced. Students were awesome and did a fantastic job!
We then bussed and walked in increasingly heavy rain to Kinkaku - The Golden Pavilion a zen Buddhist temple, another World Cultural Heritage site. Once again it was a site buzzing with tourists but gorgeous grounds and the magnificent temple awaited us. Meandering pathways took us around to view the temple from various angles and vantage points. Hard to believe gold foil on lacquer covers most of this building.
Next was a welcome stop for lunch - students selected from a buffet of Ramen, Udon and tempura for their lunches - most of us having Udon or Ramen to warm us a bit.
Nishiki market awaited us and in particular - Aritsugu knife shop! We spent time shopping and seeing a myriad of fish, vegetables, sweets, baking and stall upon stall of merchandise to purchase! Our group didn't disappoint!
After a jam packed bus ride - yes it does happen in Kyoto despite what Mrs Hall said, we got back to KG in time to watch and join in with the Judo team! We saw the KG baseball team members getting ready to head to practice and then met the Judo group and some KODIAKS tried their hand at Judo! Students headed out home with their new KG/ NC hoodies which we will be sporting tomorrow on our trip to Hiroshima!
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