Ninnaji: Temple Stay

Originally built in the 9th century (but of course burned down numerous times, as is everything stubbornly rebuilt over and over in wood), Ninnaji Temple was a palace-turned-Buddhist-temple built for those with imperial lineage to serve as head priest.  It's oldest buildings are now from the 1600's.  It's famous for its five-story pagoda, large sprawling grounds, and cherry trees that have been cultivated for hundreds of years. 

It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  And I stayed there for the night.    

In most of Japan I spoke in short phrases I had learned and they simply guessed what I needed or responded in English.  Thankfully, this temple has a website with good directions in English.  The blog takes a while to get a response from, but the hotel lobby had Wi-Fi.  This was fortunate, because it was the first time while I was in Japan that there was truly a language barrier between me and the man in the simple clothing.  Fumbling with Google translate ensued. 

Because I've been living in Korea, I knew enough general Asian etiquette: what to expect as far as meals, how to accept and receive money, and how they used baths--I was able to fully take advantage of a hot spring and bath area all to myself, which felt heavenly after a long day of hiking my bag all over Kyoto.  I made some tea in my room and was asleep with the sunset. 
    

The next morning I awoke well-rested at 5 a.m. in time for the service.  I found that besides the Buddhists living at the temple, the other guests were one Japanese family of four, a foreign man married to a Japanese woman, and me.  The ceremony was just what I hoped for.  Although there was no English, my interest and knowledge of Buddhism served me enough to appreciate the beauty in the symbolism and simplicity.

The ceremony lasted thirty minutes or so and afterwards, with the sun just rising, I felt I had been transported to ancient times.  The tourists still hadn't arrived by the time we finished breakfast.  I had time all by myself to wander in and out of the cherry trees, appreciating the uniqueness of the experience.  The simplicity of the service had gotten to me.  Not having a phone, simply living out of a bag, simply taking each moment as it came to me was a meditative experience in its own right--something true travelers experience and become addicted to for its freedom. 

After a while, the couple approached me and the man asked if I would like to listen to his wife translate the introduction the priest gave to us at the beginning of the service, welcoming us and explaining a bit of the temple's history. As she finished the fascinating explanation the front gates opened, letting the tourists in for the day.  That was my cue to leave.