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Hi, I'm Yusuke Nasu from Japanesquest,
where we introduce cool Japanese culture and hot sightseeing spots.
And today, we are going to see the world finest rock garden!
So this time, we are going to Ryoanji.
It's a Zen temple founded in 1450, and located in northwest Kyoto.
The Ryoanji temple has a well-known rock garden
that is considered to be one of the best examples of a Japanese Zen garden, a.k.a "Karesansui".
But in order to enjoy it fully, a little knowledge is required, which I intend to introduce in this video.
So let's take today's quest!
So today, we are visiting Ryoanji.
This Zen temple has been attracting so many people, both local and worldwide.
It is mostly because there are so many hidden messages in this temple.
So it is like a Japanese Da Vinci Code.
But it also means that you will need a few basic knowledge in order to enjoy the temple.
Without the knowledge, it's like just watching Tom Hanks running around, which is hard to enjoy
unless he's doing it on the island with a volleyball.
So let's go see the temple, and crack the code.
So this is the most famous rock garden and its fifteen stones.
It may look like just a bunch of stones placed randomly.
But actually they are arranged so carefully that when you look at the garden from any angle,
at least one stone will be hidden behind the others.
So how do you see all stones at one time?
Well, it is traditionally said, in order to see all of them, you would have to attain enlightenment.
That's why this garden is so important, and some visitors even start meditating here.
In the same building as the rock garden,
you can find this small basin that is famous for its inscribed phrase.
If you are familiar with Kanji, you are gonna like this.
There are four characters of Kanji written on the surface.
The sentence does not make sense when you read alone.
But when you combine each Kanji with the square in the center,
you can read it as one phrase "ware, tada taruwo shiru",
which is translated as “I know what I have is all I need”.
So this phrase represents the anti-materialistic teachings of Buddhism.
When you walk along the road in the temple, you will eventually see this signboard.
It’s a Japanese restaurant specializing in Boiled tofu, which is a typical Buddhist cuisine.
You can enjoy the food in this atmospheric tatami room,
while appreciating the marvelous Japanese garden in front of you.
The boiled tofu is simple, but seasoned well.
This place is normally isolated from tourists.
So If you want to try something local, I recommend this exquisite boiled tofu restaurant.
Okay, that’s the today's episode of Japanesquest.
I hope you liked it.
For more detail of Ryoanji, you can check that on my website.
The link is in the description below.
And don't forget to subscribe!
Because Ryoanji is only the beginning of amazing temples that I am going to introduce.
Okay, Arigato, Matane!
Subtitles by the Amara.org community