Here we go...
And we round the corner, and suddenly it's temples. Everywhere. Sprawled all over the mountain; we can't even see them all. There's just too many.
I reach for my camera, but it's impossible. I can't take it all in. I'm surrounded by a sea of wooden gates, stone guardians, lanterns, pagodas, stairs that just keep going up.
Don't get lost...
And then, suddenly. Kyomizudera. A temple so large you can't even see it. Because it's built into the mountainside, supported by 139 pillars, and all you can do is stand inside and look out. So we did.
Wanna know what they're looking at?
This.
This is the one, my friends. I have seen the sun reflecting off the gold leaf, I have stood in the serenity of the giant Buddha and walked though the immaculate Zen landscaping, and I am here to tell you: this is the greatest temple in Japan.
The people who built Kyomizudera understood. When you walk along its wooden promenade, look out over the chasm and see the whole city of Kyoto laid out beneath your feet, you can have only one thought:
This is why we build temples.
Kyomizudera is indeed supposed to have been built without the use of nails. However, this type of construction is a traditional Zen style, and not as uncommon as you might think. They've even built bridges this way.
where exactly is kyomizudera and what are the best 3 aspects of the temple?
I feel like I'm writing someone's report for school, but..
Kyomizudera is built into the side of Otowayama mountain on the east side of Kyoto, Japan.
The best three aspects of the temple are its age (the original temple dates back to 780 AD), its impressive scale, and of course the view. It also boasts a sacred waterfall and a massive, ornate cemetery nearby.
isn't this the one which was miraculously built without a single nail?