Another Monster

Having viewed the massive float in the last post, we rambled on to the next monster. This was a Buddhist temple - Hgashi Hongan-ji -  a building of prodigious dimensions in which monks were performing various rituals and a steady stream of worshippers or visitors like us sat cross-legged on tatami mats in meditation. I cannot show the lovely interior of the building because of a ban on photography, nor the play the chants coming from within. However, the scene was majestic and serene.

By the way, I'm not normally into meditation, but the 10 minutes I spent on the tatami mats was very restful.

The only jarring note was this frightened little girl. Her parents had come to feed the pigeons and had given her the bag of crumbs. In a scene out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie (maybe the Birds), an aggressive flock of pigeons chased after her as she ran away and cornered her against a wall until the horrified parents came screaming up to the rescue.

Then we headed off to the lovely Shosei-en gardens which were originally attached to the temple before a couple of main roads and a jumble of houses interceded. I'll let the pictures talk for themselves

AS