Dear Joey,

I was right. Kyoto is much more mellow than Tokyo. It’s not as busy, and I don’t have to fight the crowds to see the sights. And there are so many sights to see here!

This used to be the capital of Japan, and it’s filled with huge, beautiful temples. Unlike Tokyo, there are many parks and hills. It’s a very green, peaceful city. There are also many teahouses in beautiful gardens. I’ve been spending a lot oftime at these eahouses trying to perfect the Japanese Tea Ceremony. It’s great seeing a side3 of Japan that is different from the huge metropolis of Tokyo! Can’t wait to hear how your trip is going!

Austin

親愛的喬伊：

我說對了，京都比東京讓人輕鬆多了，這裡沒有那麼繁忙，我不必為了看風景，而在人群中擠來擠去的。而且，這裡有好多風景可以看！

京都以前是日本的首都，有很多大型美麗的寺廟。這裡和東京不一樣，有很多公園和山丘，真是一個很碧綠、很寧靜的城市。美麗的庭園裡也有很多茶館，很多時間我都待在茶館練習日本茶道。看到日本的另一面，與大都會東京很不同，真棒！

期待你的消息！

奧斯汀

Reading Passage

Kyoto, a city of temples, was the capital of Japan from 794 to 1868. Though it is no longer the nation’s capital, it is a major tourist destination and is a wonderful place to explore for its temples, gardens, and traditional Japanese culture that can sometimes be hard to find in the bigger cities of the country.

Japanese temples are famous for their simplicity and lack the color and decoration of Chinese temples. They are still considered beautiful and are more known for their elegance rather than their ornamentation. The Enryaku-ji complex of temples is one sight not to be missed in Kyoto. Built in 788 A. D, it consists of 120 temples and three beautiful pagodas. It’s on top of Mt. Hiei-zan and offers hiking opportunities and stunning views of all of Kyoto.

京都是寺廟之城，西元794到1868年的時期是日本的首都。雖然現在不再是首都，但仍是主要的觀光勝地，也是探索寺廟、花園和傳統日本文化的好地方，因為傳統日本文化有時很難在較大的城市中看到。

日本寺廟以簡單聞名，沒有中國寺廟那麼多的顏色和裝飾，但它們還是很美，沒有太多裝飾，以典雅聞名。延曆寺寺廟區是去京都不可錯過的景點，它於西元788年建立，共包含了120座廟宇和三座美麗的塔。延曆寺座落在比叡山山頂，人們能在裡面健行，可以看到全京都令人驚豔的美景。

The Nishi-Hongan-ji Temple contains five buildings that are examples of the most beautiful artistic and architectural achievement of the Momoyama period which is when Kyoto was the capital of Japan. This temple is still the headquarters of the Jodo

Shinshu religious school which is a sect of Zen Buddhism. What used to be the retirement villa for Emperor Kameyama is now the Nanzenji Temple. It is one of the most famous Zen temples in the world, and if you visit it, you can see people meditating and paying respects to Buddha.

The San-mon Gate stands at the entrance to the temple and is impressive in both its beauty and immense size.Decorated with murals of birds and angels, it’s a wonderful way to enter the temple. The Leaping Tiger Garden is a classic Japanese garden. With a waterfall to gaze at and straw mats to sit on, it’s an ideal place to partake in the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

在西本願寺裡，有五座建築，是以京都為首都的時期，安土桃山時代中最美的藝術作品和建築成就。現在這座寺廟仍然是淨土真宗教學院的總部，淨土真宗是佛教禪宗的一個派別。而現在的南禪寺是以前龜山天皇退位之後住的別墅，是世界上最有名的禪教寺廟，參觀時會看到很多人在靜思以及禮佛。

山門位在寺廟入口，令人印象深刻。山門莊嚴巨大，以畫有鳥兒和天使的壁畫來裝飾，進入廟宇時便能有不同感受。跳虎園是古典的日本庭園，有瀑布可觀賞以及麥草做的草蓆墊可坐，是參與日本茶道的好地方。

摘自《寄英文明信片給你——我的亞洲之旅》 寂天文化 提供◇

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