I once heard someone say, “These temples are beautiful, but they’re pretty much all the same!” I’ve given that sentence some real thought after visiting dozens of temples and shrines and writing about them here. Maybe there are many similarities if you compare the basic architecture and gardens. But still I have to disagree, because there is so much more about a temple than these two aspects. Whenever I find one, I take at least a few minutes to have a look around—or if I’m in a hurry, I’ll note its location and come back.
If you start visiting temples, you’ll be surprised by how different the atmospheres can be and how many interesting details you’ll find. And every once in a while you might get rewarded with an experience that becomes a traveler’s story you can bring home and share with your friends. That, in my opinion, is one of the best “souvenirs.”
One of these stories happened to me in December. I had passed by Daisho Temple several times and never paid much attention to it before. I was always on my way to the train station and didn’t want to miss my connection to Tokyo. When my brother came to visit me, I decided to show him around a bit. I wanted to take the chance to get some pictures for a short photo story. Who could have known that it would be one of the best experiences I ever had when visiting temples in Japan?
We peeked through the entrance gate and saw a woman working in the garden. She was raking fallen leaves, and for a moment we hesitated to go in, as we didn’t want to disturb her work. But then we approached slowly and she immediately stopped to give us a very friendly greeting. We started looking around, and when we got closer to the main building, she came over and asked us where we were from. Then she offered to open the temple hall so we could have a look inside.
We took our shoes off and stepped inside. She turned the lights on and said we should take all the time we need and get photos of everything we want. She left us alone in this beautiful temple hall with its countless decorations and flowers. It was photographer’s heaven, as I didn’t bother anyone when taking as many pictures as I wanted from any angle I wanted.
After a while we left the hall, put our shoes back on and went to thank her. But instead of saying goodbye, she asked if we wanted to see the garden and the tearoom as well! So she first led us through the garden and taught me the names of the plants in Japanese. I had to repeat after her, and it was a lot of fun. I had no idea what these plants were even in my mother tongue. That day I learned about ten Japanese plant names, and even though I can’t recall them now, it was worth the moment.
She then opened the teahouse for us and led us through the many surprisingly contorted rooms and hallways. When we were finally in the main room, we all sat down and she explained a lot of details of tea ceremony. And then she reached for my camera and took some pictures of my brother and me. One with the garden in the background, another one in front of the tokonoma (alcove, usually with a calligraphy scroll) and another one in front of the fusuma (sliding paper doors, usually decorated in a temple).
When we were on our way out and just about to put our shoes back on, she came with her arms full of sweets and put them in my backpack. We thanked her for her hospitality and said goodbye. Even though it was only morning and our day was just about to start, we already knew that this was the best part. While we went to the train station, we enjoyed the chocolates and cookies she gave us, and we were still taken by her kindness. She definitely made our day.
