Something to Declare

Kyoto, May 14, 2026

Thursday, May 14, began with a trip to the Arashiyama District in far western Kyoto, for a visit to Tenryu-ji Temple, built in the 14th Century. We had a lesson on Buddhism, and then went into the peaceful and beautiful garden.

From there to the Sagano Bamboo Forest. Do you see the difference between these two photos of the bamboo forest?

The more serene view is thanks to the “Magic-Erase” function on our cell phone cameras. Presto! No tourists! (Of course, we are tourists too.)

Some of the group went with Andy on a hike up the hillside, which leads to sweeping views of Kyoto and a river gorge. The others opted to remain in the rest area, where we contemplated the gardens and enjoyed complementary tea and calpis, a yogurt beverage that hit the spot.

Lunch was at the Sagano restaurant known for yudofu, a Buddhist-style specialty of stewed tofu and condiments.

After lunch we went to visit the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery. Robert was born in the U.S. (Long Branch, NJ, no less!), but has lived in Japan for many years. He is an authority on Japanese ceramics, and he gave us an informative talk on the relationship between ceramics and food and drink.

I bought a glazed sake cup made by Inoue Taishu, a renowned Japanese ceramic artist from Kumamoto.

Dinner was a hoot. We went to the Cooking Sun cooking school and got a lesson in the preparation of some iconic Japanese dishes, including dashi (the foundational soup stock of Japanese cuisine, and the base for miso soup); tamagoyaki, a traditional omelette flavored with dashi and mirin; chicken teryaki; onigiri (rice balls); shrimp, green bean, and pumpkin tempura; and green bean goma-ae (seasoned with sesame seeds that we pulverized by hand with a mortar and pestle).

And Andy was kind enough to supply a delicious sake.

Tomorrow, we go to the countryside, where the temperature will be cooler than the 82 degrees predicted for the city. More adventures await!