Honen-in Temple and Junichiro Tanizaki

I'm at Kansai Airport while I'm writing this, waiting to fly away.

Yesterday, I visited the famed Ginkakuji Temple and took a stroll through the Philosopher's Path. I wasn't sure what to expect from this solitary journey, except to be alone with my thoughts as I absorb the sights, the sounds, the scent of this historic place.

There were some temples and shrines along the way, I decided to pick one randomly to visit.

A stroll through Ginkakuji Temple and the Philosopher's Path

By the time this is posted on the blog, I am a few hours away from flying back to Malaysia.

On Saturday, I got sidetracked by cheerleaders and cosplayers at Heian Temple, and then by a great art exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, when I was on my way to Ginkaku-ji 銀閣寺, the Temple of Silver Pavilion. By the time I reached Ginkaku-ji in the evening, I was already closed.

Therefore, Sunday, my final day in Kyoto, I decided to rectify this regret of mine by heading straight to Ginkaku-ji right after lunch.

To experience the place for myself.

So I entered Ginkakuji (which is officially known as Jisho-ji 慈照寺).

GLORIA & LEON, a video installation by Miwa Yanagi

The original plan yesterday was to visit Ginkakuji and walk the Philosopher's Path, but my plans were foiled by a sudden afternoon rain.

So I took shelter at the National Museum of Modern Arts, Kyoto, and also bought a ticket to check out their "Reading Cinema, Finding Words: Art after Marcel Broodthaers" exhibition.

This is how the exhibition was described on the Museum website:

Cheerleaders and Cosplayers at Heian Shrine, Kyoto

I've been in Kyoto the past few days because I was invited to screen my short films and give a talk at Kyoto University on the 6th of September.


The following day, I decided to explore Kyoto. (my last visit in Kyoto was December 31, 2008, and chronicled on this epic video, that's a lifetime ago) My first thought was to go to the Philosopher's Path and the legendary Ginkaku-ji for a leisurely stroll. My last visit there was in 1999-2000, my memories of that place were entirely hazy.

After lunch, I hopped onto a bus, heading towards my intended destination.

However, when I passed by Heian Shrine 平安神宮, a few things caught my eye:

[VIDEO] My New Year Trip at the Kansai Region Part 1

Phew. Been spending the past two days editing the video of my trip at the Kansai region during the new year period. Due to rustiness (the last time I actually edited something was for my short film, LOVE SUICIDES, and that was back in last October), I was slower than usual, and needed a bit more time to get into a groove again.

Anyway, I've decided to separate the videos into two parts because it's quite long, and I'm also doing this for, ah, narrative and dramatic purposes.