08:16AM at Ga-un-kyo:
e view of e Sengyokukan valley from Ga-un-kyo:
e front half of e queue at e Tsuten-bashi ticket booth (actually not really 'at', since those in e middle of e queue are already too far away to be considered 'at' e booth? =P):
back half of e queue too far away to photograph =P siao liao. e place opens only at 08:30AM & many have been patiently queueing here for almost an hour, according to a friendly security guard. after buying tickets, proceed to join another queue to e actual bridge:
first of e crowds move into e bridge queue:
very systematic, very orderly, very Japanese ;)
e bridge, with traces of e water that Japanese like to splash on pavements & roads to reduce e dust (a practice called uchimizu):
first guy literally runs onto e bridge & wastes no time squatting down to snap away with his camera:
before e rest of e crowd closes in on him:
e view from e bridge, without actually stepping onto it (judging from e previous photos, e cat had obviously given up on queueing to get in =P):
meanwhile e queue continues to grow as more & more arrive:
& e rest of Tofukuji remains totally deserted:
this is e big fat 三門 Sanmon gate, e oldest main gate of a Zen temple in Japan, with a lavatory (*LOL*) dating back to e 14th century (*faint*).
almost decided to leave Tofukuji after taking a short walk around e grounds, but suddenly remembered that there was a garden here that was on e cat's list of 'must-see' Kyoto gardens (culled from AR1722 lecture readings, websites & travel guides). turned out to be hidden behind e walls next to e Tsuten-bashi queue:
方丈 = hojo = abbot's quarters, surrounded by 4 gardens:
south garden, a kare sansui (dry landscape) garden:
e 5 moss-covered hills & 4 groups of rocks standing in a sea of white gravel symbolise 五山 (5 mountains), 四仙島 (4 islands) & 八海 hakkai (8 seas) respectively.
tipping e garden to fit it all into e frame:
why isn't e gravel all sliding off this thing? =P
west garden 井田市松:
turning e corner to e north garden, Tsuten-bashi (lit. 'connecting to sky' bridge? 'bridge to heaven'?) & e maples of Sengyokukan valley pop up suddenly:
totally unexpected! didn't know that e bridge & maple valley could be seen from here =)) & in this northwest corner of e abbot's quarters is a little platform 通天台 for you to admire e maples while making your unwanted guest appearance in many of e photos taken by those on e bridge =P
time to escape, after spotting quite a few visitors on e bridge appearing to point across e valley at e cat *LOL* but one last look at e maples before heading on to e 3rd garden:
love e emerald moss & cute round shrubs of e north garden 小市松:
e east garden 北斗七星, where e stones are arranged to form e big dipper:
elegant combi of raked gravel + green moss + weathered stone + symbolism =)) how magical it would be to admire e south & east gardens under e light of e full moon at night *dream* to think e forgetful cat almost walked out of Tofukuji without coming to this place....!!
south garden 08:38AM:
quite eerie to walk into such a silent empty place after encountering e crowds outside....a very weird feeling of trepidation. only after paying for e entry ticket to this garden, & e appearance of two other visitors, did e cat really feel that it wasn't trespassing into some forbidden Zen sanctuary sealed off from e outside world.
south garden 09:19AM:
taken as e cat was leaving. like Ryoanji, this is one place you should come to at e opening time ;) fortunately, unlike Ryoanji, this place doesn't have silly commentary blasting from loudspeakers to kill e atmosphere of a Zen temple.
crossing Ga-un-kyo again, on e way out to e main road:
visitors in e Sengyokakun valley (above) & more visitors on Tsuten-bashi directly abovehead (below):
outside along e road leading to Tofukuji, more tourists are coming to join e queue, which hasn't grown any shorter at all:
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