Lao Lan's Travelogue (Photos)

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Publish Date: 2002-06-01
Features: In Kyoto covered in heavy snow, this ancient city filled with temples takes on a different kind of charm as white blankets the roofs and the ground. The Nanzen-ji Temple is not far from the city center. Its gate has three layers, solemn and grand, with a "dry landscape" garden in the courtyard. Unlike many other temples, it lacks the usual bustle of incense and has fewer visitors. My three friends and I visited, not primarily for meditation, but to taste the famous "Okutan" hot tofu from the temple. The monk greeted us at a small pavilion, where, with nothing but four pillars to block the wind, we sat amidst swirling snow, uncovering the snow from the chairs. Next, the monk brought us four bottles of hot sake, and we each drank several cups, toasting the monk, who proved to be a heavy drinker. Can the monkey also drink? he asked. A good thing, he replied, should even the Buddha taste.
This book is a travelogue series that includes examples from many countries. It provides detailed introductions to each example within the countries covered, such as Japan, France, Italy, Northern Europe, the United Kingdom, China, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, and Malaysia. For each country, the book highlights specific examples, including:
In Japan: Nanzen-ji Temple, Meion-ya, several famous stores, Japanese sake levels, mirin, entry, higan, rice, kimono and yukata, kites and geisha, Koto-in Temple, Infinity, Otsu Sake Ode, Gyokuho, language, heartbreak in stages, train tickets, wind chimes, accommodations, life's stage, lovers of books, Takashi Daimaru, Nagisa Oshima, and Kato the Monk.
In France: Budapest, French breakfast, French cigarette shops, faded flowers, etc.