Silver Pavilion

Ginsyaden at Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto

Well its been a week since (my sister) Lauren left, and I am just now sitting down to look at photos from her trip. I am afraid our exploits in Tokyo will largely go ignored, in favor of a few highlights from our trip to Kyoto and Nara. Even there it is hard to know where to begin, so I will start at the beginning with Ginkaku-ji, or the Silver Pavilion, which was the first temple we visited and as it turned out probably a favorite for both of us. The pavilion is set in beautiful gardens created in the early 14th century, which contrasts sculpted sand mounds, (named Ginsyaden & Kougetudai ) with tall cedars and precious pockets of moss.