Tenryuji Temple (天龍寺)

Posted in Kyoto by yumtravels

Tenryuji is the most important zen temple of the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. Built in 1339 by shogun Ashikaga Takaui in honor of late Emperor Go-Daigo. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

Zen garden when you first walk into the temple.

Many of its original buildings were lost overtime to fire and wars. Its current buildings were rebuilt during the Meiji period. The original garden created by Muso Soseki, the first priest of Tenryuji, still stands today.

Overall, I didn’t find this temple to be impressive. Maybe because I saw too many temples and was tired of them at this point. I enjoyed the zen garden of Kodaiji Temple more.

Admission: 500 yen

(Japan〒616-8385 京都府京都市右京区嵯峨天龍寺芒ノ馬場町６８)

14Jun2015

Arashiyama Monkey Park

Posted in Kyoto by yumtravels

Arashiyama monkey park is a park like no other. Fun for kids, teenagers, and adults.

It was my favorite Japan experience.

To get to the heart of the park, you have to hike up steep and sometimes broken terrain. Tip: Wear comfortable shoes and bring water as the trail is mostly in the sun.

After 20 minutes of strenuous uphill, you will forget about the hike once you spot the free roaming Japanese macaque monkeys.

At the top, there is a feeding hut, which is the only place you are allowed to feed the monkeys. If you feed them outside the hut, they can become aggressive.

For 100 yen, you can buy a bag of peanuts or apples to feed the monkeys.

The fatty on the left kept stuffing his mouth with peanuts until he became a chubby bunny. I was shocked to see the monkeys knew to reach their hand out for more food.