Cherry Blossom Temple: Kyoto

The majority of the action featured in Cherry Blossom Temple takes place in Kyoto, a city of great beauty and rich history. If you ever go to Japan, you must spend some time in this bustling metropolis, where the historic and contemporary coexist. Fortunately, Kyoto, the former capitol of Japan, was spared from excessive damage during WW II.

There are many, many temples and shrines in Kyoto (as Marissa learns to her dismay). One estimate is over 1500!  Far too many to visit in a week, or even a month. Temples are Buddhist centers of worship and shrines are sites of the Shinto religion. They are interspersed throughout Japan.

Probably the most iconic of Kyoto Temples is Kinkaku-ji, otherwise known as the Golden Temple, or Golden Pavilion. It is featured in commonly encountered images of Japan. Even though I had seen pictures of it many times throughout the years, seeing it “in person” was breathtaking. Uniformed officials gesture toward the reflecting lagoon. I’m sure one the the perks of their duties include observing awestruck expressions on the faces of visiting tourists.

Kyoto is surrounded by areas famous for their excellent tea leaves and the Gion area, within the city, is the center of Geisha culture. Look for for information on these topics in subsequent posts.

I’m also happy to announce that Cherry Blossom Temple is available now in both Kindle and paperback versions.

https://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Blossom-Temple-C-Shore/dp/0986222348/

https://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Blossom-Temple-C-Shore-ebook/

Image of Kinkakuji from Bigstock.