Hardcore relaxing.

Katie and I headed next door to the hotel this morning to visit the Sanjusan-gendo temple. It is so named because there are 33 spaces between the pillars that hold up the building's front. The temple itself houses 1000 standing Buddha, with 500 on either side of a huge sitting Buddha. Each one of the Buddha had 21 pairs of hands, and there were 28 deities and guardians standing in front of the Buddha, each with their own placard describing their original names and their role. I was astounded at the number of standing Buddha in the room; when I thought I was about near the end, I realized I hadn't even gotten to the large seated Buddha yet. I really enjoyed learning about the 28 guardians and deities as well; two of them we recognized as the same guardians from Todai-ji. I also learned that Sanjusan-gendo is the longest wooden building in Japan. (What a superlative-filled trip to Kyoto it's been!) After walking through the interior, we walked around the grounds, admiring the garden, bell, and shrine surrounding the temple. I'm glad we found postcards of the temple yesterday, because photos inside were forbidden, and photos outside don't really capture the scale.

After Sanjusan-gendo, we checked out of our room, left our bags at the hotel, and headed to Kurama Onsen for the beginning of our chill. (Onsen are Japanese-style spas, with hot springs, saunas, and relaxation rooms.) The ride up was easy to manage, and there was a shuttle waiting at the train station. Once at the onsen, we decided to just do the outdoor springs; we rented towels, paid our fare, and split up - clothing was forbidden, so it was split male and female. On the male side, there were a couple people finishing up as I was getting ready. I showered (a requirement before getting in) and settled down in a sunny spot. The onsen looked over wooded mountains just past some sakura trees, so I was certainly entertained with the view. I saw alone in the onsen for somewhere around 40 minutes before the next guest showed up, by which point I had moved to the shade and recited nearly every poem I could think of. Sitting there in the spring was very relaxing; I was so glad to just hang out for a while and not do anything. Eventually, I had to leave, which was both disappointing and relieving; I had soaked so long I was starting to get dehydrated. Katie and I finished right around the same time, which was just fortunate timing, and walked back to the train station, where we picked up ice cream while waiting for the train back. We headed to the hotel, picked up our bags, and caught a taxi to Yoshikawa Ryokan for the continuation of our relaxation.

Now, neither of us had ever been to a ryokan before, so we weren't exactly sure what to expect. I think I can safely say that both of us were blown away by the experience right off the bat. Our hostess came outside to greet us at the taxi, and knew who we were before we said anything. We left our bags at the door and were ushered in to a receiving table, where we were given roasted tea and a short questionnaire before we were shown our room, which is huge. The hostess then gave us a full tour of the room, confirmed our dinner choice, and left to prepare us more tea. She also informed us of our dinner attire: casual Japanese dinner dress, provided by the ryokan itself. After she changed the kimono size thinking I wouldn't fit the provided set, she left us to our own devices at 4, with dinner scheduled at 6. Katie took a bath while I started uploading pictures to her computer. At 5:30, we started getting ready for dinner, only to find out that the outfit provided for me did not fit! (I suppose I really am big in Japan.) I called downstairs to inform them, and our hostess came back up with another size, only to inform us I already had the largest one on. (That's embarrassing.) I was told to wear it as a robe with a t-shirt underneath, and then she left. Shortly after, she returned with another one which was wider in the upper region, but shorter; however, I wasn't quite dressed, so I think I embarrassed her when she came in. (Oh well.) It fit, but I was definitely showing some shin!

Finally dressed and ready to go, we came downstairs and were escorted to the largest dining room in the ryokan, overlooking the garden. There was an immense table set for two, and we had the whole room to ourselves for dinner. Our meal consisted of ten courses of food, each one coming with suggested ways to eat. Katie took pictures of each course, and our hostess took pictures of us before the meal as well. There were several fish courses, including both sushi and sashimi, as well as various soups, vegetables, and tofu dishes. There were also multiple tempura courses, for which this ryokan is famous. The whole experience was decadent. After dinner and dessert, our hostess took pictures of us in the garden, then allowed us to enjoy the garden for a moment before we went upstairs to our room. Our sleeping mats had been set up on the floor, and a bath had been drawn as well. I took advantage of the bath while Katie read, then we watched the Japanese baseball league for a bit. All in all, an incredibly relaxing day indeed.

Tomorrow is our last day in Kyoto. The ryokan is serving breakfast for us at 8:30, then we're headed to a famous chef's cutlery shop! After shopping, it's time for the shinkansen to Hiroshima. I'm certainly rejuvenated and ready for more traveling! Hopefully, we'll catch an onsen or two in the next week.

-B