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profile Cecilia Lanny Winata Aliases: Lanny/Cecilia/Xenopus Location: Singapore Occupation: Grad Student, National University of Singapore Interests: Zen, Martial Arts, Japanese Culture and philosophy, Life Sciences, Religious philosophy, Christianity Hobbies: exploring new places, learning new things, walking (preferably outdoors), cooking, eating good food, home making, swimming, sea sports, anime (Naruto being the best by far), good music to accompany my different moods, and good books to read Schools/Past Affiliations: TK Bunda Hati Kudus, Jakarta (Kindergarten); SD Bintang Kejora, Jakarta (Primary 1-2, 4-6); Ironside State School, Brisbane, Australia (Primary 3-4); SLTP Santa Ursula, Jakarta (Secondary School); SMU Santa Ursula (High School); Indonesia International Taekwon-Do Federation (Jelambar, Jakarta); National University of Singapore archives November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 April 2006 May 2006 August 2006 October 2006 January 2007 August 2007 January 2008 March 2008 June 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 September 2009 affiliates 5h4d0w's Lair My old Friendster blog credits skin by: Jane |
Monday, September 21, 2009 @ 11:48 PM
Japan - Day 3: Kyoto - A thousand gateways Based on the first day's experience, we decided that: 1. It would be really tiring for us to get up at 5am, especially after a whole day of walking. 2. even if we do get up at 5 am, the air would be so cold we'd probably freeze to death. 3. Thus, a re-adjustment to Mike's schedule should be made: focus on quality rather than quantity - meaning, we're visiting only those places with more meaning to each/both of us. 4. Plus, Mike only has time in Kyoto up to late afternoon as he's taking the last shinkansen to Tokyo in the evening. Thus, we narrowed down our schedule to three main places: Fushimi-Inari Taisha Jinjya in the South-East, Arashiyama in the West, and Ryoanji and Kinkakuji in the North-West.  From Kyoto station, we took a local train down south to JR Inari station. It was a short ride of about 10 minutes. We tried to minimize the usage of bus today, because we calculated that getting a bus pass for the day was not really worth it. From the station, it was a short walk to Fushimi-Inari shrine. This shrine is devoted to Inari, the Shinto god of rice.
  I was the one who picked this destination, simply because I thought it would be beautiful. And I was right. Walking through the seemingly endless torii tunnels was an experience I couldn't describe with words. I simply wished I was there alone. Despite the inconveniences and security concerns, I always felt that travelling on my own has a romantic feel to it, because it enables me to be more immersed in the surroundings, without being distracted by conversations or sometimes disagreeing comments from a partner which may affect the experience. I truly wish that I can return to this place again in the future, to enjoy a quiet morning stroll up the mountains, and not in a hurry like this time.
The thousands of toriis or gateways are each sponsored by businessmen or companies seeking a blessing of fortune in their business. Fox statues are also a prominent feature of this shrine, as they are believed to be messengers of Inari. Food stalls found along the way up serve the well-known Kitsune (fox) udon, believed to be the foxes' favourite food. Even the wishing tablets here are kitsune shaped.
 
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