Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

With a day and nothing better to do, we made a short trip to Kyoto, about 20 minutes from Osaka. Nothing in particular in mind. We ended up at a very small garden called Shoseien (pronounced: show-say-en). It was neither spectacular nor disappointing. It was just what I'd expect from a small garden. Quiet, cozy, cheap (donation only), and very few other visitors. It was nice.

This gives you a pretty good feel for the place. Relaxing, but nothing that would draw a huge crowd of tourists. Just my style.

There is a little covered area where you can sit, relax, and take it in. I took this picture form that little hut.

There was a white heron there. Fits just fine in this garden, but consider that the garden is in the middle of a booming metropolis of 2,644,331 people, comparable to Chicago (2.9M). Can you imagine a wild heron in Chicago? I think not.

After that, we went to Higashi Honganji, a temple in the Pure Land sect of Buddhism. If I remember correctly, this temple is also a mausoleum of the founder of Pure Land Buddhism. During our short visit, we were able to enter the temple and see the monks doing some prayer rituals. It really feels like an intrusion, but they don't seem to mind.

In the evening, we went looking for some traditional sweets. Our search led to this little covered shopping area, still in Kyoto.

Most of the shops were selling fish or traditional Japanese foods, primarily for the benefit of Japanese people who live in Kyoto. It definitely doesn't seem like a tourist-oriented market.

This is just a random bit, unrelated to Kyoto. Interest rates in Japan are significantly lower than in the United States. It has a great impact on the economy. Whereas nobody in the US would consider a 50 year home loan, it's not out of the question in Japan. Sometimes people take out a very long-term loan and then let their kids take it over when they retire. Presumeably, they live with their kids.

This poster advertises a 0.78% interest rate for a 3 year loan. A 15 or 30 year mortgate in the United States might run around 5.5% or 5.8%. A 3 year loan would probably be more, not less. It's a big difference.

Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

2/5/2006, Kyoto: Shoseien (garden) and Higashi Honganji