Feeding the Ancients

According to legend, my mother and I may have thrown crumbs to creatures over twice the age of the pyramids. This happened when walking along the heavily traveled coblestone way approaching the first gate at Zenkoji Temple, the same little road pilgrims have traversed as they approached their destination for over half a millenia. This day happened to be a day many pilgrims came to the temple, some, probably members of a woman's club, stopped for ice cream. We noticed the reflection off the water first, then the bridge, and then the ornate garden. Only when looking at the ripples moving through the water did we see them – turtles – symbols of longevity, said to live up to 10,000 years.
A strange sight indeed, turtles acting much like the ducks that swarmed around me when I went to the pond with my grandpa. Poking their heads up at us from under the bridge, the turtles begged for leftovers from our lunches, and even outswam the carp with whom they competed.
I later found out that this building is a seminary of sorts, dedicated to teaching a certain ancient sect of Buddhism called Tendai-shuu, and the water those turtles called home was the remnance of a once larger moat.