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ARASHIYAMA |
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At its western edge, the modern city of Kyoto ends in a pleasant,
leafy suburb beside the Hozu-gawa. ARASHIYAMA was originally a place for
imperial relaxation, but the palaces were later converted into Buddhist
temples and monasteries. The most famous of these is Tenryo-ji , noted
for its garden, while the smaller, quieter temples have a more intimate
appeal. In contrast with Tenryo-ji's somewhat introspective garden, that
of Okochi Sanso - the home of a 1920s movie actor - is by turns
secretive and dramatic, with its winding paths and sudden views over
Kyoto. For a break from temples and gardens, take the little Torokko
train tootling up the Hozu valley to Kameoka , from where boats ferry
you back down the fairly gentle Hozu rapids .
A good way to explore the area is to rent a bike and spend a day
pottering around the lanes and through magnificent bamboo forests. Or,
if you're pushed for time, you can combine Arashiyama with the sights of
western Kyoto . Note that central Arashiyama can get unbearably crowded,
particularly on spring and autumn weekends. Just head north along the
hillside, however, and you'll soon begin to leave the crowds behind.
Temples and gardens
Arashiyama is centred on the long Togetsu-kyo bridge, which spans the
Hozu-gawa (known as the Katsura-gawa east of the bridge). This is a
famous spot for viewing spring cherry blossoms or maples in autumn, and
is also the scene of night-time fishing expeditions using cormorants. An
ancient, ingenious method of catching fish , cormorant fishing ( ukai )
still takes place at Arashiyama in summer; boats depart for an hour-long
fishing trip (July & Aug 7pm & 8pm, Sept 1-15 7.30pm; ¥1700) from the
river's north bank just upstream from the bridge.
The town's most interesting sights, as well as the majority of its shops,
restaurants and transport facilities, lie north of the Hozu-gawa. First
of these is the Zen temple of Tenryu-ji (daily 8.30am-5/5.30pm; ¥600, or
¥500 for the garden only), which started life as the country retreat of
Emperor Kameyama (1260-74), grandfather of the more famous Emperor Go-Daigo
(1318-39). Go-daigo overthrew the Kamakura shogunate and wrested power
back to Kyoto in 1333 with the help of a defector from the enemy camp,
Ashikaga Takauji . The ambitious Takauji soon grew exasperated at Go-Daigo's
incompetence and staged a counter-coup. He placed a puppet emperor on
the throne and had himself declared shogun, thus also gaining the
Arashiyama palace, while Go-Daigo fled south to set up a rival court in
Yoshino, south of Nara. After Go-Daigo died in 1339, however, a series
of bad omens convinced Takauji to convert the palace into a temple to
appease Go-Daigo's restless soul.
The temple buildings are nearly all twentieth-century reproductions, but
the garden behind dates back to at least the thirteenth century. It's
best viewed from inside the temple, from where you get the full impact
of the pond and its artfully placed rock groupings against the tree-covered
hillside. The present layout of the garden is the work of Muso Kokushi ,
the fourteenth-century Zen monk also responsible for Saiho-ji , who
incorporated Zen and Chinese motifs into the existing garden. There's
still an argument, however, over who created the garden's most admired
feature, the dry, Dragon Gate waterfall on the far side of the pond.
Apparently inspired by Chinese Sung-dynasty landscape paintings, the
waterfall's height and bold vertical composition are extremely unusual
in Japanese garden design.
When you've had your fill, follow the paths through the garden to its
back (north) entrance, where you'll emerge into some of the bamboo
groves for which Arashiyama is renowned. Heading northwest along the
hillside, look out on the left for the entrance to Okochi Sanso (daily
9am-5pm; ¥900, including green tea), just before you reach the train
tracks. This was once the home of Okochi Denjiro, a silent-movie idol of
the 1920s, who chose a spectacular location for his traditional Japanese
villa. The route takes you winding all over the hillside, past tea-ceremony
pavilions, a moss garden, a dry garden and convenient stone benches, up
to a ridge with views over Kyoto on one side and the Hozu gorge on the
other. Finally, you drop down to a small museum devoted to the actor.
From here continue north past Torokko Arashiyama Station, where you can
join the train for Kameoka , and keep following the attractive lanes
along the hillside. After passing two minor temples, Jojakko-ji and
Nison-in, a left turn leads up to Gio-ji (daily 9am-5pm; ¥300). Gio-ji,
a pretty little Buddhist nunnery, with a mossy, maple-shaded garden and
more bamboo groves, is named after one of its former inhabitants.
Princess Gio was concubine to the notoriously ruthless Taira Kiyomori
(1118-81), who was head of the Taira clan and effective ruler of Japan
for a number of years. On falling from favour, Gio came to Arashiyama to
drown her sorrows, bringing along her mother, sister and a friend. Their
statues are on display in a small pavilion - from the left, Gio's
mother, Gio, her sister and her friend - alongside a Buddha image and
Kiyomori half-hidden from view.
While the lanes carry on along the hills, the last two sights in
Arashiyama - both of moderate interest - are off to the west. It's only
worth popping into Seiryo-ji (daily 9am-4pm; ¥400), 1km from Gio-ji, on
the eighth day of the month, when the statue of Shaka Nyorai (the
Historical Buddha) is on show. The image was carved in China in 985 AD
as a copy of a much older, Indian statue, which in turn was said to have
been modelled on the Buddha while he was alive. The rest of the time
you'll have to be content with his internal organs - when the statue was
opened in 1953, they found several little silk bags in the shape of a
heart, kidneys and liver, which are now on display in the temple museum.
One kilometre northeast from here, the more impressive Daikaku-ji (daily
9am-4.30pm; ¥500) was founded in 876, when Emperor Saga ordered that his
country villa be converted to a Shingon-sect temple. The main Shin-den
hall was moved here from Kyoto's Imperial Palace in the late sixteenth
century and still contains some fine screens painted by renowned artists
of the Kano school. Behind this building, the Shoshin-den is also noted
for its panels of a hawk and an endearing group of rabbits. Afterwards
you can wander along the banks of Osawa-ike, Emperor Saga's boating
lake.
Along the Hozu-gawa
Northwest of Arashiyama the Hozu-gawa flows through a fairly narrow,
twisting gorge just over 15km long. It's a popular, though fairly
costly, half-day excursion to take the old-fashioned Torokko train
upriver to Kameoka and come back down by boat. You can board the train
at Torokko Arashiyama Station, just north of Okochi Sanso , or at the
Torokko Saga terminus one stop further east. Wherever you get on it's
the same price (¥600 one way) for the 25-minute journey, which takes you
through tunnels and criss crosses the river. It's a good idea to reserve
seats in advance during the main holiday periods, especially when the
cherries and autumn colours are at their peak, though at other times you
should be able to buy tickets on the day. Reservations can be made
through JTB and other major travel agents, at JR's Green Windows, or by
phone direct to Torokko (tel 075/861-7444). Trains leave hourly between
9.25am and 5.25pm.
At the Torokko Kameoka terminus buses wait to take you to the landing
stage (15min; ¥280), from where fairly chunky, wooden punts set off down
the Hozu-gawa on the Hozu-gawa Kudari (at least 4 daily; ¥3900). The
rapids aren't the most fearsome in the world, but it's a fun trip and
the gorge is that much more impressive from water level. Back in
Arashiyama, the boats land on the river's north bank just short of the
Togetsu bridge. Regular sightseeing boats depart from this same landing
stage for a very overpriced thirty-minute jaunt to the mouth of the
gorge (¥1100 per person), or you can rent your own three-person rowing
boat for ¥1400 per hour.
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