Nightingales and Buddhas

GeoTagged, [N35.00939, W135.78755]

After a full day of shopping on our second full day in Kyoto (see The pic of Anna's new dress, very nice) we wanted to see more of the cultural side of Kyoto. The following day we made our way to Nijo Castle in the middle of the city.
The castle was built in the 1600'sb to protect the Imperial Palace in was was once the political capital - and many believe is still the cultural capital - of Japan. It is a sprawling site with it own palace, several gardens, a barracks, and offices and meeting rooms for the Shogun, the warrior elite who rules Japan at the time.
Inside the palace is the famous "Nightingale Floor". The floor lines the hallway to the palace and was designed so that the slightest weight shift would make the floor creak like the sound of Nightingales singing. This was to alert the gaurs in case anyone tried to sneak in, or out, in the middle of the night. We walked on the floor with our shoes off (you have to remove your shows before entering), and even tried to sneak around. The floor squeaks exactly like its namesake. It is a little strange, but sounds quite nice. I'm sure it did not sound so nice to the Shogun's enemies.

We were not able to take pictures inside, but you can see from the pictures we took outside that the grounds of the castle are gorgeous and very well kept. There is evens moat that is still filled with water, complete with many Carp (hmmm, are they Ill tempered Carp?).
The castle was complete with life sized figures that depict what daily life would have been like during the time of the shogun. The screens dividing the rooms were still original and had been painted in beautiful scenes showing tigers, dragons, hawks in a variety of landscapes. The castle has been not been altered at all since the 1600's and it felt like we were walking through a slice of history. We could almost see Samuri walking the halls.
We enjoyed the garden and peacefullness of the grounds until the site closed, and then went for sushi. That's right, Anna actually ate raw fish! I'm so proud of her!

The following day (today) we went to see the hall of 1001 statues in Sanjusangen-do Temple. Sanjusanhen-do is a Buddhist Temple, in the heart of Kyoto. There are actually 1001 statues in it. It is pretty impressive to see. Most of the statues are of the thousand armed Buddha, but the highlights are the very large central statue, and the 28 guardian statues along the front of the hall. Each of the guardian statues represented a different deity in Buddhism.
Anna and I tried to keep up with all the names and how they are connected, but we soon lost track. I didn't know that there were so many deities in Buddhism. For some reason I always thought it was one of the more uncomplicated religions. It's amazing what you can learn when you travel.
Again, we were not able to take photos inside, but above you can see the outside of the building. It is very long. It would have to be to house that many statues. The building is unique in that it was one of the first to combine sand with clay to form a more sturdy foundation, allowing for the longer base.

Both the building, and what it houses are impressive. And there is something about being inside a Buddhist temple that is humbling and calming. The smell of incense, the quiet, the feeling of peace. I'm not sure I understand it entirely, but I do respect and admire it. It's too bad the rest of the world isn't as serene.