Ginaku-ji means Temple of the Silver Pavilion in Japanese. (Yes speaking Japanese is one of the many talents I've hidden from you) The Silver Pavilion is the pretty structure at right, which he used to make his tea. If you're wondering why the pavilion doesn't look silver, it's because during his long retirement, the shogun was so busy making tea and gazing at the moon that he never found time to cover the pavilion with silver leaf, the original plan.

While I appreciate the whole zen aesthetic, sometimes Zen can be a little, well, Zenn-y, and this sand garden is a good example. It's a big field of sand, carefully raked every day, with a mound of sand off to the side (the pic at right). It's a temple highlight, but it doesn't really hold my attention, and judging by the number of turned backs and people hurrying by in the picture, I don't think I'm alone in this.

Ginaku-ji was built as a retirement home for a retiring Shogun in the 1400's. At the time, the shoguns were based in Kamakura, but Kyoto has always been the religious and cultural capital of Japan (as well as the home of the mostly irrelevant emperor). So like most old people, he wanted to retire in a place where he could pray and do arts and crafts. He devoted his post-warlord years to moon-gazing and perfecting the art of the aforementioned tea ceremony, which I would imagine he became pretty good at after a few decades of full-time practice. The complex was built with special areas constructed for his moon gazing and tea making hobbies. I think that's a very Japanese way for warlords to retire. After he died, it became a Buddhist temple, which is what it remains today.

Just off the Path of Philosophy lies the street that feels like a Tokyo subway. Cherry blossoms give way to shops selling souvenirs, temple offerings and "delicious" Japanese sweets to tempt the tourists headed toward Ginaku-ji temple. I put "delicious" in quotes because they're definitely an acquired taste. I really like Japanese food in general, but it definitely a delicate cuisine often verging to bland. So I think the Japanese palate needs only the slightest hint of a flavor to register a big taste impact. That's why the sweets, which taste like sponge to me, are a big hit with schoolkids, who I guess get their sugar high off of them. They're also coated with some dusty outer coating to make sure you get a slight gag when they're in your mouth. On the plus side, each piece is lovingly wrapped and put in a beautifully presented box. If only you could eat the packaging!