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Kisshoin is for when I don’t have time
Kisshoin is close to my house. It’s on the south side of Takaido Station, and I’m on the north. It’s a small place but worth checking out if you are into temples. While I’m not a regular photographer at this one, I drop in when I am nearby or don’t have much time. It’s perfect for that type of photo shoot.
If you are into wabi-sabi, Kisshion is the place. It certainly is that. It meets the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy of being “subdued, austere beauty.” The grounds have a certain serenity about them.
There isn’t very much to it. It has a main hall and many Buddhist icons on the grounds. A line of jizo statues fills one corner. Everything is slowly but surely falling into a state of decay. Yep, it is definitely a subdued, austere beauty.
Whenever I go, no one is there. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone praying at the hall or in the cemetery. But there is a rack with omikuji on it, so there are signs people visit it. It is so local.
And that is why I haven’t featured it on this blog. It’s not a major sightseeing or photography spot. But I appreciate it. It has the classic temple architecture and it’s near my house.
And it has that wabi-sabi atmosphere. That makes it a spot for me! There is enough to photograph for fun. So I thought I’d put it here for you. And there is one more reason.
I have been busy lately. You might remember from previous articles that I’ve become a tour guide. Yes, it’s true! After many years, I’ve said goodbye to English teaching.
To learn my new job, I need to visit many places. And as I’m still inexperienced, I spend much time memorizing scripts. I practice it most days of the week. And there are things I’m looking to add. I’m always on the internet learning more about Tokyo. Of course, I need to guide my guests too! I enjoy it, but it’s killing my photography time.
I used to post new blog articles twice a week. On rare occasions, it would be once. Now I wonder if there will be times when I can publish nothing. It worries me, but I will soldier on. For the moment, tour guiding preparation is very time intensive.
Anyway, let’s get back to Kisshion. In many respects is a typical Japanese temple. You’ll find many like it throughout Tokyo. It’s not a Gokokuji, Zojoji or Sensoji. This one is for local needs.
When I’m too busy, Kisshoin is something I can fall back on. It’s that place I can photograph when I don’t have time to travel further. I’m very grateful it’s there.
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