2005

In a land where vending machines supply everything from soft drinks to schoolgirls' underwear, it's no surprise to discover a device dispensing spiritual guidance in Japan's cultural capital, Kyoto.

For ¥100 ($1.25), the fortune vending machine at Kyoto's famous Golden Pavilion provides counsel on matters of the heart, health and wealth.

But the written oracle's advice on travel is troubling. "Travel," it proclaimed, "is not problem but don't give yourself up to sensual pleasures."

Unfortunately such advice is almost impossible to follow in this city of 1600 temples where the senses are constantly seduced, whether it be by the sight of an exquisite Zen garden, the sound of Buddhist chanting or the ever-present scent of incense hanging in the air.

Despite the oracle's warning about sensual pleasures, it's hard not to be captivated by the Golden Pavilion.

Set on a perfectly still lake, known as the Kyoko-chi or mirror pond, the World Cultural Heritage-listed pavilion is a three-storey confection of gold leaf and ochre shingles.

It was built as a villa almost 800 years ago but when the site was taken over by shogun Yoshimitsu at the end of the 14th century, he set about creating a serene but spectacular home where he could live out his days in harmony.

After his death, the villa was transformed into a Zen temple in accordance with his will and today houses sacred relics of the Buddha.

While tourists are not permitted inside the temple, a stroll around the perfectly manicured gardens surrounding the lake makes it well worth the visit.

Finished with a cup of pungent green tea and a delicate Japanese sweet at the classic tea house, a tour of the pavilion is a wonderfully peaceful experience.

It's something to savour if you're heading to Kyoto's other main spiritual attraction, Kiyomizu Temple.

Where the Golden Pavilion is gloriously silent apart from the occasional bird call, our arrival at Kiyomizu Temple coincided with that of teeming hordes of Japanese schoolchildren clearly unfamiliar with the notion of quiet contemplation.

Still, they are a minor distraction from the temple which, like the Golden Pavilion, is on the World Heritage list.

Built in 798 and reconstructed in the 1600s, Kiyomizu is set imposingly on a hill overlooking a valley filled with Japanese maples and cherry blossoms with the incongruous view of Kyoto's grey urban sprawl in the distance.

Visitors walk uphill towards the temple along a narrow street flanked by lively souvenir shops and cafes offering the local delicacy green tea ice cream arriving at the main gate that leads through to a great hall where a platform projects over the valley with its panoramic view.

From there, you can wander through the gardens to a mountain spring where visitors queue to sample the local holy water from communal cups on long silver handles.

The spring itself is divided into three streams, representing health, wealth or wisdom.

On the matter of health, the germ-phobic Japanese have come up with a novel way of keeping their communal cups clean, placing them in an ultraviolet steriliser between sips of holy water. So drink to your health. You may need all your strength if you're planning to visit Kyoto's massive Sanjusangendo temple hall, which is large enough to house 1001 human-sized statues of Kannon, the Japanese Buddhist goddess of mercy.

As well as the famous golden sculptures of Kannon, the 120-metre-long structure is home to statues of 28 guardian deities and intricately detailed carvings of the gods of thunder and wind, placed on raised cloud-shaped pedestals.

The centrepiece of all this is the giant principle statue of Kannon, which is listed as a national treasure.

Kannon reputedly has 1000 arms but, perhaps to save the sculptors from repetitive strain injury, these sculptures show only 42 limbs two regular arms plus 40 arms representing the 25 Buddhist worlds (40 multiplied by 25 being 1000).

Kannon's numerous arms apparently symbolise her ability to embrace the world and ameliorate human suffering.

So while I might have defied the Golden Pavilion's oracle by giving in to Kyoto's pleasures, at least I'm safe in the knowledge that Kannon's on my side.