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| LDS Church, Shimogamo Ward, in Kyoto |
Sunday, November 16th
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| Shimogamo Shrine down the street from the LDS Church |
I stayed in bed the whole day. Deidre rested up for her big day tomorrow of going to the Gion district for a Maiko makeover. Alan will take her.
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| The gateway to the main shrine building. |
Alan left about 7 a.m. to go north to see the Forest of Truth, which is a part of the Shimogamo Shrine grounds. The park is right across from the church, but the entrance is down a block.
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Another building at the shrine
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“Shimogamo Shrine is part of an important Shinto sanctuary called Kamo-Jinja, and dates to the sixth century and is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan and is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It was built centuries before Kyoto became the capital of Japan in 794.”
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| Walkway in the primeval forest of Tadasu no Mori (Forest Where Lies are Revealed). |
This virgin forest is situated on the banks of the Kamo River in northeast Kyoto, and encompasses about 124,500 square meters (more than double the size of Liberty Island where the Statue of Liberty stands).
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| A sacred tree with the rope and lightning around its trunk. |
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| “Site of the First Kick” Shrine to Rugby erected in 1969 |
“In 1910, the first-ever rugby match in Kansai took place on the riding grounds (which were once used for traditional horseback archery) of Shimogamo Shrine. This spot has become a pilgrimage site for rugby fans from around the world, who visit to pray for victory and improvement in their game.”
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| Sacred washing station |
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| The large stone marker at the entrance to the forest, indicates the start of a sacred area. |
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| Kamo River |
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| Tree with bamboo skirt, no religious purpose, but a practice to protect trees from animal damage and snow. |
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| Crossing the Kamo River |
Located about a half-mile south of the Shimogamo Shrine, are the Stepping Stones at Kojin, a popular tourist attraction. Some of the stones are shaped like turtles.
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| Other side of the crossing |
Alan left the park and went to church around 9:30 a.m., with services starting at 10 a.m. There was about 70 people (of which 20 were visitors) in attendance, and they were all very welcoming. One Japanese gentleman wanted to talk with Alan a lot! There are 8 missionaries assigned to this ward, 4 sisters and 4 elders. One sister was Sister Bodily from Boise!
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| Prawn Sushi |
Deidre wanted me to add the things she’s tried since coming to Japan.
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| Matcha Cookies |
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| Daifuku Mochi, a strawberry and cream confection. |
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| Onigiri, a rice ball wrapped in seaweed. |
I love the outward cultural connections to sacred things--sacred boundaries, sacred places, sacred washings, sacred shrines to deity, sacred events. It's having a "sense of the sacred" that's missing in our world.
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