Jun 10, 2014 - 1 min read

Outside Kyoto's To-ji Temple

Bamboo, sand gardens, buddhist statues, and elephants

By Larry Knipfing

Community writer

A view of the sand garden just inside the gate

In need of repair, but all the more beautiful for it

This gentleman stopped to pray at every altar, temple, shrine, and statue he could find

He plays the role of adorning handles on this incense receptacle

Place your incense stick inside, then pray

His eyes look old and wise, and there is a twinkle of humor in there somewhere, too!

Just outside To-ji Temple, there are three or four much smaller temples that you might enjoy seeing. Instead of entering To-ji, head off to the right of the entrance. As in many temples, the little details you come upon can be surprising and delightful. In these small temples I found a beautiful little sand garden, locals in prayer, some very nice statues, gorgeous wood, and even an elephant! The elephant caught my eye because an elderly woman stood in front of it for 30 minutes with her camera, trying to capture its magnificence. She showed me her shots, and I am sure that they were much better than mine! How I envied that!