Japan Day 6, Part 2: The weathered phoenix hall of Byodo-in

In Uji I had a brunch of cinnamon buns, a sandwich, and a delicious loaf of French bread while sitting on the steps to the river that runs through the city. The water formed fascinating eddies and whirlpools.

The main reason to come to Uji is to see Byodo-in, a thousand year old Buddhist temple famous enough to be on the back of the ten Yen coin. 

Only the main hall remains, but it is incredible.

The ancient building manages to both look its age and remain intact and structurally sound.

The hall is also known as the phoenix hall. The mythological bird is popular in China, and in Japan is seen as a protector of Buddha. Oxidized metal phoenixes stand atop each end of the wooden hall. I think its amusing that the temple covered in phoenixes is one of the few in the country that hasn't burned down and been rebuilt.

Walking back to the train station, I spotted some other amusing sights in Uji, including a life-sized monster.

The cicadas were out in force here as well, and were bigger than my thumb.

I don't know why the public service announcements were demonstrated with a cartoon platypus, but I'm glad they were.

After my brief stop in Uji, I continued on to the former capital of Nara.