lurkyloo
The Attic was just perfect!
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2006
One of the main attractions of this temple is its killer view of Kyoto.
The other attraction is the "stage" (the deck) of this building. In the Edo period, it was believed that if you jumped off the stage and survived, your wish would come true. 85% of people's wishes came true! The practice has since been banned, but according to Wiki, the expression "to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu" is as common an expression in Japanese as "to take the plunge" is in English.
Long way down…
There were also three fountains to drink from for health, wealth and something else. (Wiki sez… health, wisdom and longevity—and if you drink from more than two, some people think this means you're greedy and will risk bad fortune.) I went all the way to Blarney Castle in Ireland and refused to kiss the Blarney Stone, so you can bet I wasn't waiting in some line in Kyoto to drink from some sketchy fountains!
The fountains—and the line!