Saturday, November 27, 2004
Japan (Part 3)
Ryoan-ji is the most famous Zen garden. It`s situated within a fantastic "wet" garden of red and yellow maples, reflected in a beautiful lake. You have to take off your shoes to visit the dry garden, which adds to the hype. However it was pretty underwhelming. Despite the many theories about what Zen gardens represent, it seemed to me to rather defy interpretation. It all looks pretty much accidental, save for the meticulous raking. Somewhat predictably there is of course an online Zen garden, ready for virtual raking.Top tip for budget Kyoto travel: fujiyama manga cafe. You can stay all night for 1600yen. That includes unlimited internet, PS2, DVDs, soft drinks, and as much tentacle porn as you can handle. Street Jack Magazine gives male fashionistas the inside track on adopting the Harujuku style, but there`s also a handy London version, called UK Jack. And in a final themic link: Ronin: Spirit of the Sword, a game in which you "battle it out with other samurai, dodge bamboo traps, and get pretty cute girls."
Ryoan-ji is the most famous Zen garden. It`s situated within a fantastic "wet" garden of red and yellow maples, reflected in a beautiful lake. You have to take off your shoes to visit the dry garden, which adds to the hype. However it was pretty underwhelming. Despite the many theories about what Zen gardens represent, it seemed to me to rather defy interpretation. It all looks pretty much accidental, save for the meticulous raking. Somewhat predictably there is of course an online Zen garden, ready for virtual raking.
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