New Adventure in Kyoto

It has been raining a lot lately in Japan, more so this year as opposed to previous years, according to my Japanese friends. The rain was coming down especially hard this past Thursday, which made sight-seeing in Kyoto rather difficult. However, I had a reservation at an "exclusive" temple (it has a delicate moss garden, and tourists are kept to a minimum to avoid damaging the abundance of moss species present), so despite the pouring rain, I ventured to Saihoji Temple in western Kyoto on Thursday afternoon to see this famous garden.

I was led into a small room with the other tourists who had reservations for the one p.m. tour. We all sat behind small, wooden calligraphy desks. There was a black stone basin to the right side of each desk with a wooden calligraphy brush and some black ink inside of it. After the Buddhist priests entered the room, they instructed us to chant with them some Buddhist prayers, all written in Japanese (I sat silently and politely listened). Then we were told to use the calligraphy brushes and write on a wooden plaque we had received at the reception desk. On one side we were supposed to write a wish, and on the other side we were supposed to write our names and addresses. After completing the writing on the wooden plaque, we were taken out to the garden and, after receiving a brief explanation of the garden, allowed to wander through it at will. There was a beautiful pond in the middle of the garden, and the moss looked so lush from all the rain. Walking around this moss garden at Saihoji is said to cleanse one's heart, and I did feel quite serene after my walk.