CONVERGENCE SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2016

Enko-Ji Temple
Formerly a school, the temple has retained
its heritage of knowledge and still exhibits
wooden books known as 'Enko-Ji editions'. A figure
of 52,320 wooden editions are exhibited here as an
important cultural property. Today, the temple is a place
of Zen training and holds basic Zen training meetings.
The temple has been noted for its beautiful garden and
is visited by many people, especially in fall. At the
entrance of the garden there is a 'sui-kin-kutsu' that
echoes water dripping in a pot and a 'seiryuchi'
shows the glassy surface of pure water. It is truly
a lovely place to have a day tour with all
family members during the season.
Travel
Gion's Shirakawa
Kyoto's most famous geisha district is Gion and
Gion's most scenic area is Shirakawa. Why is this
place a must during fall? There is a canal and this
canal is lined by willow trees, high class restaurants
and ochaya (tea houses), many of which have rooms
overlooking the canal. As it is a little off the beaten
path, the Shirakawa Area is typically somewhat
quieter than Hanami-koji street, which is the busier
and much more touristy version of Shirakawa.
Arashiyama
This is a beautiful district of Kyoto
that offers you several beautiful Zen
Buddhist temples to visit. These temples
have maple tree gardens that will have you
swooning like a romantic poet in autumn. On a
sunny day, the light glows through the small-leafed
maple trees on the hills over the river and in the
area's many temples and shrines. The district is
located at the outskirts of Kyoto and the forested
mountains in the background and the trees
on the grounds of Arashiyama's temples
are sights to behold. Also, when you
are in Arashiyama, please visit the
infamous bamboo grove.
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