In summer vacation

In summer vacation, I am going to Kyoto and Nara. It will be my twice time. I have been there when I was high school student. Kyoto is full of traditional Japanese culture. There’s a so much to see. There are the temples, shrines, and castles. There is all kinds of history. There are quite a few that you should see. For example, there is Kinkaku-ji. In English it means “Golden Pavilion.” I remember the first time I saw it. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. Kinkaku-ji was originally completed in 1397. It is three stories high, in a brilliant gold color. It is beautiful in any season. It sits elegantly by a large pond. It is so mystical. The third Shogun of the Ashikaga family had it built. The first two levels are based on traditional Japanese architecture. But gold top story shows the strong influence of the Chinese Zen School. The gold adds a luxurious touch the simple Buddhist style. The garden is huge. There are different things to see in it each season. That’s exactly what he tried to do. He built a beautiful home in the mountains, surrounded by nature. It is great shape for a six hundred-year-old temple. Actually, it is not the original. The Golden Pavilion today is a reproduction that was built in 1955. The original was deliberately burnt down by a priest in 1950. The priest probably thought such extravagance wasn’t appropriate for a temple.

Do you know Kiyomizu? Kiyomizu means “clear spring” in English. There is a huge wooden stage. It has a great view of the city and its surrounding hills. Its style is very walking paths in the area. And the whole area around the temple is famous for ceramics. It’s also famous for its cherry blossoms in the spring, and maple leaves in the fall. I can’t wait to go. I’m looking forward to seeing Nara, too. In the middle of the sight century, Emperor Shomu commissioned the building of the Big Buddaha. Naandaimon, the huge main gate, has two stories. It’s supports by eighteen pillars that are over sixty feet tall. The Daibutu-den, or ‘Big Buddaha Hall,” is surrounded by a pillared corridor. It’s the largest wooden structure in the world. It’s very huge. It’s about a handed andsixty feet high, a hundred and eighty-five feet long, and a hundred and sixty-five feet wide.

 

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