Konichiwa! We flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Tokyo, and immediately caught a high speed Shinkansen train for Kyoto, our first stop in Japan.
We checked into our hotel near Kyoto Station and had a very welcome sleep. The next day we had our first big adventure in Kyoto.
We charted out a walking route that would take us from Ginkaku-ji (aka Higashiyama Jisho-ji), along the canal on a route called the Philosopher’s Path, stopping at Nanzen-ji and Yasaka, before arriving at our final destination, Kiyomizu-dera.
But first, breakfast! We found a cute little vegan cafe called Veg Out overlooking the Kamo River.
That morning a DJ was playing soulful tunes with real records, which set the tone for an amazing day.We were tired from travel, but the good was great!We crossed the river to the train station.
A train and bus ride later, and we were at Ginkaku-ji.Ginkaku-ji is not as showy as some of Kyoto’s bigger temples. Its extrodinary surroundings set it apart however. It was built by a shogun the 15th century.There is meticulous Zen sand garden.Including this remarkable sand sculpture, meant to symbolize Mount Fuji.A portal to a tranquil world.The gardens were exquisite, every stone and tree arranged to produce a harmonious feeling.We walked the paths in the surrounding hills. A blanket of moss covered everything.The attention to water makes Zen gardening especially appealing. We were inspired to use some of these ideas in our yard back home.
The Philosopher’s Path is a meandering 2 km-long path that follows a canal in Eastern Kyoto passing by several temples and shines.
The path gained its name thanks to the influential Meiji era philosopher, Kitarō Nishida, who walked this path on his way to work at prestigious Kyoto University. Nishida founded the Kyoto School of Philosophy, and his daily walk was a part of his meditative practice.
It was warmer than usual and a perfect day for walking.Even though the main sakura bloom had not started yet, there were some early flowers out.We passed these stones. We never figured out what they meant!Ancient stone bridges, amazing!Plum blossoms mark the start of spring in Japan.On this walk, the temples and shrines were incredible, but it was equally delightful to walk the streets of old Kyoto, there was beauty everywhere.
Nanzen-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple established in 1291.
Surrounded by an expansive temple and garden complex, the main gate is the most prominent building.Fin-zenHuge posts support the two storey structure.Visitors can climb the stairs to get a view of the surrounding area.This inverted bell/flower shape is reminiscent of temple sculptures we saw in Indonesia.More views.So cool!
Our wanderings took us from the Higashiyama district of Kyoto to the historic Gion district.
On our way we passed through this curious tunnel, called Nejirimanpo. The engraving at one end says “Excellent view and unexpected idea” and at the other, “Where there is a will, there is a way”.Nejirimanpo literally means “twisted tunnel”, and it has bricks laid out in a spiral pattern - an unexpected idea, indeed!We also passed through Maruyama Park, known as the center for cherry blossom viewing in Kyoto.We were a bit early for flowers, but the park was still incredibly beautiful.We arrived at Yasaka Shrine with the afternoon sun sinking lower in the sky.The moon rose.This gate had the classic vermillion color associated with Shinto and Taoism. The paint was originally derived from the ore called cinnabar, and its bright color came from mercury.
As walked moved closer to Kiomizu-dera, the streets became narrower, and we noticed more and more people dressed in traditional kimono. The Gion district is a hotspot for Japanese and foreign tourists to experience “old Kyoto”.It was an unexpected delight.We set out to make Kiyomizu-dera before sunset.
Kiyomizu-dera (“Pure Water Monastery”) is a Buddhist temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site, established in 778. It was intentionally located near a natural spring and its name was derived from the waterfall that flows out of it.
The gates of Kiyomizu-dera.This pagoda featured some of the most ornate woodwork we had yet seen in Japan.The colors were stunning.Incredible detail. Japanese temples are still carved and assembled using traditional hand tools, and joinery that does not use nails or any other metal fasteners.Up on the mountain side, the gate framed views of the city.Like in Indonesia, temple gates perform a significant function, marking a boundary/passage between worlds, but also framing how we see each side.We wandered the grounds of the temple complex, amongst many other visitors, and headed over to the main hall.We were unable to get a good picture of the main hall. Here’s one from Wikipedia! 😄 It features a 13-meter high outdoor terrace, designed to accomodate large numbers of pilgrims to the site.As the sun went down we exited the temple grounds via a walking path that lead through the surrounding woods and gardens. We looked back on the last temple of our big first day.A garden of mossy stone statues near with walking path, with the top of the pagoda in the background. We were constantly reminded of the significance of these small quiet places. Our wanderings were oriented by major historic sites, but were enriched by an endless stream of these kinds of places, hidden in plain sight, alive and cared-for, yet part of the landscape, and old as the forest.
