Kyoto
Woke up to a lovely day and sat drinking coffee in our room overlooking the mountains as we planned the day ahead.
Struggled, but managed, to buy subway tickets to Imagadawa Street to start our first day immersing ourselves in the many temples and shrines in the Southeast quarter of the city.
A long walk to Ginkaku-ji, passing through the Imperial Palace Gardens on our way, was well worth it, with its immaculately manicured grounds and wooden buildings, all entered through an alley of clipped camellias high over our heads. Caught a bit of sun as we sat facing the temple watching the carp in the main pond and trying to take the whole thing in.
Strolled along the Tetsugaku-no-Michi (Path of Philosophy) beside a canal lined with cherry trees passing many more shrines and temples with their torii entrances tucked away into the hillside. Stopped along the way to eat the lunch we had bought on our walk in – traditional bento boxes that seem to be the staple lunchtime diet of the locals. Discovered, and couldn’t help exploring, a shrine with myriad altars, each symbolising and worshipping different animals.
Walked to Eikan-dō – a complex of sub temples on a hillside overlooked by a huge pagoda. Left our shoes at the entrance and followed the covered walkways in the slippers provided, climbing the steep steps up the mountainside to the Taho-to Pagoda where we sat on the edge looking out across the city.
Continued our walk to the end of the Philosophers Path to Nanzen-ji – a complex of sub temples set in immaculate parkland spanning off in every direction from the huge proportions of the wooden San-mon at the centre, towering way above our heads. Visited Nanzen-in before walking up the hill past a mausoleum to try to find what the guidebook described as the “often overlooked temple in a wooden glen by a waterfall”. We soon found out why it was often overlooked…after climbing a steep hill up countless steps and with the daylight beginning to go, we realised how far away it must still be and decided to turn back. Although felt slightly embarrassed and out of shape as old woman practically sprinted past up to get there.
Walked back to the San-mon to get our bearings and then on to Konchi-in – a small complex with immaculate gardens, where we sat in front of the zen garden with its raked sand and chose our destination for dinner.
Dinner was a simple bowl of ramen – hot, thick and steaming soup, that was very difficult to eat with chopsticks and no napkins! In the face of adversity we copied the locals and lost our inhibitions by perfecting slurping – apparently the louder the better.
Struggled, but managed, to buy subway tickets to Imagadawa Street to start our first day immersing ourselves in the many temples and shrines in the Southeast quarter of the city.
A long walk to Ginkaku-ji, passing through the Imperial Palace Gardens on our way, was well worth it, with its immaculately manicured grounds and wooden buildings, all entered through an alley of clipped camellias high over our heads. Caught a bit of sun as we sat facing the temple watching the carp in the main pond and trying to take the whole thing in.
Strolled along the Tetsugaku-no-Michi (Path of Philosophy) beside a canal lined with cherry trees passing many more shrines and temples with their torii entrances tucked away into the hillside. Stopped along the way to eat the lunch we had bought on our walk in – traditional bento boxes that seem to be the staple lunchtime diet of the locals. Discovered, and couldn’t help exploring, a shrine with myriad altars, each symbolising and worshipping different animals.
Walked to Eikan-dō – a complex of sub temples on a hillside overlooked by a huge pagoda. Left our shoes at the entrance and followed the covered walkways in the slippers provided, climbing the steep steps up the mountainside to the Taho-to Pagoda where we sat on the edge looking out across the city.
Continued our walk to the end of the Philosophers Path to Nanzen-ji – a complex of sub temples set in immaculate parkland spanning off in every direction from the huge proportions of the wooden San-mon at the centre, towering way above our heads. Visited Nanzen-in before walking up the hill past a mausoleum to try to find what the guidebook described as the “often overlooked temple in a wooden glen by a waterfall”. We soon found out why it was often overlooked…after climbing a steep hill up countless steps and with the daylight beginning to go, we realised how far away it must still be and decided to turn back. Although felt slightly embarrassed and out of shape as old woman practically sprinted past up to get there.
Walked back to the San-mon to get our bearings and then on to Konchi-in – a small complex with immaculate gardens, where we sat in front of the zen garden with its raked sand and chose our destination for dinner.
Dinner was a simple bowl of ramen – hot, thick and steaming soup, that was very difficult to eat with chopsticks and no napkins! In the face of adversity we copied the locals and lost our inhibitions by perfecting slurping – apparently the louder the better.
posted by Paul Marden at
1:47 PM
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