temples – Cyberwizzards World

Temples and cold feet

The next morning was really really cold. Everything besides sleeping quarters is unheated so with temperatures around the freezing point it was a rude awakening (and getting up at 5:30 in the morning is a rough wake up – period). Somehow somebody managed to throw a pillow (filled with grains or something) through one of the paper walls – oops. But we were allowed to take part in the morning ceremony of the temple none the less. The high priest of the temple led the ceremony and afterwards we all got a divine blessing from him (perhaps I should have had him bless my teeth instead of the trip and flight) and we had breakfast. I ditched the misu soup and the rice and went for the fruit salad and tea (yes, shoot me). After a while some monk came in telling us that there was coffee: within seconds the eating hall was deserted.

Friday was another culture break as we went to Kyoto where a guide would take us on a tour through a ninja house (actually a daimyo inn). Instead of one we guide, we found 3: three female students who are volunteering took us on a tour. One one side we get a guided tour and on the other they can practice their English. The result was pretty amazing: all of them had an almost flawless accent and their English was very good.

Once in the ninja house, we were told we are not allowed to make pictures with out cameras to protect the building from the flash as its over 400 years old. Any attempt to explain that me and Sebastiaan could take pictures without flash didn’t help. Also you are not allowed to touch anything inside besides the floor and the stairs (yes, really) and we had a pretty grumpy guide who was pretty strict with those rules.