debris field
With the weather alternating between cloudy and sunny and a breeze sweeping through, petals settled on the roof of the clay perimeter wall of the garden. A few people sat in the sun on the wooden verandah and let their thoughts be siphoned into the gravel below.
Of the few photos I took at Ryōan-ji 龍安寺, this might be the least compositionally minimalist, but I like it the best for its textures.
failure modes
After shelving shoes at the entrance of Ryōan-ji 龍安寺 and moving inside, the familiar sight of water-filled buckets lined up beside an exterior walkway.
These are commonplace across temples and shrines in Kyoto 京都 due to the aforementioned risks. While there are more modern fire prevention systems too, when you want people to act quickly in an emergency situation and a moment of panic, everyone will understand how to use a bucket.
scattered
From Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺 it's an easy walk (following the road that borders the forested hills) to Ryōan-ji 龍安寺, the location of Japan's most famous dry landscape Zen garden.
But it also has a beautiful water garden too, which you wander through part of when you arrive, under weeping branches and by uprising blooms.
already gone
After enjoying the gardens it was time to move on, but first: pausing for a moment to recharge with more delicious matcha 抹茶 and vanilla ice cream. You'll just have to imagine the beautiful swirl that was atop it before I nommed.
centre of gravity
While the golden pavilion is the iconic sight of the complex, the current structure is relatively new, having been rebuilt in 1955 after it was destroyed by arson in 1950. By contrast, if you follow the loop of sprawling gardens you'll arrive at Fudo-do 不動堂, the oldest building in the complex at over 400 years old.
live in the future
Up the next morning and feeling much better, the throat soreness now subsided but congestion remaining, I ventured downstairs and had the Japanese-style hotel breakfast (a rare thing for me, since I usually like to get straight outside). It was satisfying, and the coffee a welcome boost.
Then, into the subway to push north to Kitaōji Station 北大路駅 before finding the right bus to go to my first stop of the day: Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺.
It might be compulsory to take this photo if you're sightseeing in Kyoto 京都.
From the right angle, with the sun hitting it directly, the gold feels like a glitch in spacetime. Like you're playing a game where the developer stuck the texture on as a placeholder and forgot to fix it before it shipped. It's sort of magical that this object exists at all.