Kyoto

Kyoto probably has more temples, shrines and gardens than 7-11s. There's history and divinity to be found on every corner, and it's seamlessly integrated into the city's core. The place oozes culture from every pore.

Travelling alone

I've been walking for 3 straight days now, and I've seen but a fraction of all the temples on offer. It's all very majestic and awe-insipring, but at the same time it brings to me a sense of hollowness. Beauty, like all things in life, is best experienced with other people. I see all this grandeur around me, but have no one to share it with. At times I want to exclaim to someone, anyone how fabulous the sights I behold are, but then realise the only place those thoughts can go is the inside of my head.

Travelling alone has its merits. You go at your own pace, you only see what you want to see, when you want to see it. If you change your mind about anything at all for whatever reason, that's perfectly fine too.

But it can be extremely boring at times. You can't really make for interesting conversation with yourself, and you can't crack jokes or anything because you can't surprise yourself either. The other thing is that it can be really tiring to make every single decision yourself. And you can't just sit back and not think about it, because then you'd just be going nowhere anytime soon.

Zen gardens

There is something very bewtiching about the manner in which the Japanese have done their Zen gardens, and I think it's the way they seek to put order into nature's randomness. The trees may seem to branch whichever direction they like, and the moss may appear to accentuate the rocks by chance, but the reality is that it's all been meticulously planned and executed. It's just like Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana), but on a larger scale.