Torinin

TEL :075-463-1334 Address :59 Hanazonomyoshinjicho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto Access :JR Hanazono Station > 10 minutes walk Time :Check-in 15:00 Check-out 10:00 Room :10 guest rooms Shukubo stay including breakfast 4,700 yen including 2 meals 6,000 yen

Introduction to Torinin Temple

Torinin is a temple built in 1531 within the grounds of Myoshinji Temple. The highlight is the garden of sal tree (Shorea robusta). The head priest is famous for his buddhist vegetarian cuisine and has written many books on it.

Shukubo (temple stay)

I stayed in a 6 tatami Japanese-style room. The room was air-conditioned and had tea and snacks.

There were many books on buddhist vegetarian cuisine written by the head priest in the hallway. Although it was a Japanese book, it had lots of pictures of food. It was so much fun just looking that the time flew by.

There was a place where one could practice chanting sutras freely. I recited the Heart Sutra while striking the mokugyo (wooden durm). After chanting for a while, I felt refreshed.

Buddhist vegetarian cuisine

Dinner was buddhist vegetarian cuisine, which I was looking forward to. The menu consisted of rice, clear soup, chrysanthemum with white sesame sauce, stewed carrots and burdock, steamed radish, and pickles.

When I took a bite of the carrot, a grassy taste spread across my tongue. This was the true taste of carrots, and I felt it was different from the food I usually eat. The steamed radish was topped with fried tofu and kelp, which gently exuded its flavor.

For this interview, I was also shown the temple’s fields the next day. The radishes grown here are made sweet in winter so they don’t freeze, and spicy in summer so they don’t rot. The head priest explained to me about the seasonal flavors that are so important in buddhist vegetarian cuisine.

Other highlights

I saw a variety of gardens at the shukubo. There was a famous garden of sal tree (Shorea robusta), a inside garden with a dragon-shaped tree, and a dry landscape garden with a water chimes.

The bathtub was made of wood and it warmed my body.

Breakfast consisted of rice, miso soup, seaweed, pickled plum, pickled radish, taro, snow peas, boiled freeze-dried tofu, cabbage leaves dressed with sesame seeds, and boiled beans.

Celebrating the beginning of spring with red bean porridge

Every year from January 15th to 31st, Torinin holds an event where people enjoy vegetarian red bean porridge. After entering the temple and paying the fee, I was first treated to Fukucha (lucky tea) and celebratory sweets.

Fukucha is a tea made with pickled plums, kelp, Japanese pepper, etc. It is said to ward off evil spirits and prevent all illnesses throughout the year. Celebratory sweets are Japanese sweets and fruits. Each one is filled with a wish for a good year.

After eating these and waiting for a while, my name was called and I was led into another room. Before my meal, I gave a few grains of rice to the temple staff. This act is called saba. This is a practice that cultivates compassion by offering rice to hungry ghosts, animals, and others. The collected rice was placed in the garden for the birds to eat.

Finally, I had the buddhist vegetarian meal. The menu included red bean porridge, boiled black beans, radish and fried tofu, rape blossoms with white sesame sauce, salted kelp, pickled radish, food boiled in soy sauce, and dried kelp sweets.

When I had the red bean porridge with salted kelp, it was a simple dish, but the flavor spread throughout my mouth. Also, the sweetness of the black beans was exquisite.

It was a day spent immersed in the New Year atmosphere at a Zen temple in Kyoto.

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