Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto with Eiichi

We had a wonderful guide to two of the beautiful temples of Kyoto. His name was Eiichi and his daughter Marina, they are friends of Rachel's; their son was an exchange student at the Stuart's house. We drove 2 hours to meet him while he drove one hour to meet us. We started at 10am and finished around dark, about 6:30pm. We started our tour at the Kiyomizudera Temple. The crowds were impressive and I am so glad Eiichi knew where to go! The temple entrance is "guarded" by two impressive statues. One mouthing "Ah" and one "Mmm". This is the beginning and ending letters of their alphabet. Alright you Christians out there, sound familiar? (Alpha and Omega?) Interesting....

It was fascinating to watch the Japanese do all the ritual stuff (washing hands before coming to Buddha with requests, writing the prayers on wooden boards and hanging them outside the temple, putting money at the Buddha's feet, rubbing the Buddha for luck...). This made me realize how truly blessed we are to have a savior in Jesus Christ, not a golden statue. It is one thing to read about other religions in books, I think it was very eye-opening to watch it in person.

The buildings and outlying areas were beautiful and impressive to see how they were built so long ago and still remain. The shopping area (market style) was a whole lot of fun!