Episode 89 - Arashiyama in the Rain

I took this photo at the Kameyama Park of Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan in 1993.

You can see a stone monument with a Chinese poem engraved on it. The poem was written by the late Premier Zhou Enlai of China when he visited Japan in 1919. The stone craving is the calligraphy of Liao Chengzhi. The poem is called "Arashiyama in the rain":

【雨中嵐山】　　周恩來

雨中二次遊嵐山
兩岸蒼松夾著幾株櫻
到盡處突見一山高
流出泉水綠如許
鏡石照人
瀟瀟雨霧濛濃
一線陽光穿雲出
愈見姣妍
人間的萬像真理
愈求愈糢糊
- 糢糊中偶然見著一點光明
真愈覺姣妍


Arashiyama in the Rain　　Zhou Enlai

Visiting Arashiyama for the second time in the rain.
River banks line with pines and patch with blossoming cherries.
End of the road emerges a tall mountain,
with spring water running out so green.
Rocks in the river reflecting visitors' images.
In the foggy rain,
a ray of sunlight shines through a gap in the clouds.
Arashiyama becomes much more beautiful.
Like searching for the absolute truth in human world,
The more effort you put in, the more confused you become.
- once you see a light in such confusion,
You really feel the beauty of it.

[my translation]


I first visited Arashiyama in 1986. I had never heard of this place before when I arrived at Kyoto. I recall that I bought a one-day bus ticket and travelled along the tourist route as suggested by the ticket office. It was already in the late afternoon when the bus stopped at a station near Bridge Togetsu. I was deeply impressed by the beauty of this area and have since revisited it for many times. Apart from the cherry blossoms season (when Premier Zhou visited Arashiyama), I also like the red leaves season and the snow season.