The Philosopher's Walk and Temple Hopping

Well, my second foray into Kyoto went well enough, I think. I wanted to go alone this time so I could explore at my own pace and it would be okay if I get lost. Traveling in groups can be fun sometimes, but you miss out on a lot.

My destination was Ginkaku-ji (Temple of the Silver Pavilion,) since that's where the Philosopher's Walk starts, which is a pleasant walk along a crystal-clear stream that goes along a large number of temples. I left the dorm and walked for maybe 15 minutes to Makino Station and took the local train headed to Demachiguchiyanagi. I was pleased that I finally figured out how the train system works (the Keihan Line anyway,) and now I'm feeling confident. I made it to my stop without any trouble and as soon as I left the station I saw a bus headed for Ginkaku-ji! Quite lucky, that it was there and that I can read the kanji for Ginkaku-ji （銀閣寺）. I'm glad I happened upon the bus since it would have been a very long walk from the station to there.

I guessed where to go from the bus and found the long walk up to the temple. It was very much so the same set-up at Kiyomizu-dera in that it was a long path uphill with little giftshops and restraunts to eat at. I stopped in at one and had katsu raisu (a pork cutlet with curry rice) and then looked around at some of the shops. There were some funny parodies of Japanese products in a few, where they made fun of drinks like natchan, Qoo, and Boss Coffee. Qoo turned into Boo, a pork flavored beverage. I nearly bought a mug of it. They made the Boss Coffee logo, the "boss-like" person with his pipe into a yakuza. Oddly enough when watching TV on some day I saw a commercial for the new mountain blend that was being sold by Tommy Lee Jones? In the commercial he was in a Japanese mine with trapped miners, then an explosion saved them, they were all crying with delight, and drank a small can of coffee...

It cost 400 yen to get into Ginkaku-ji. Sadly though, the actual pavilion was under construction. Quite sad. However the moss gardens were beautiful, having over 30 different mosses. Koi ponds were also there, and there were many nice paths and you could see all of Kyoto from one hill. Near the entrance were some amazing sand sculptures by the monks.

The garden area where you first walk in.


Moss. 30 different kinds. Some signs said things like "Moss: The Interrupter."
"Very Important Moss: Like VIP"


Moss just coated the ground. It was amazing. So soft too.


Ginkaku-ji under construction...

I wandered back down from the temple and bought some gifts. Something for you, parents, when you get it, and a nice scroll of the main attractions of Kyoto for myself.

I then found the Philosopher's Walk and, well, walked. It's a great little path along a clear stream with streaming green plants beneath and the occasional fish or two. All along it were houses and little shops, and various temples were along it. Every once in awhile a sign would pop up with directions (it did help knowing Japanese for these.) It got this name from a Kyoto University Professor, Nishida Kitaro whom used the path for meditation. It starts at Ginkaku-ji and ends at Nyakuoji-jinja.

The Path. You walk along the left side, this was taken at the end of it.

I believe the next temple I came upon was Honenin, formally turned into a temple-area in 1680. Various Amida Buddha items are enshrined within, which were not to be seen today. To enter, there were large steps that led up to a long, serene forest path, where you then had to pass under a thatched gate covered in moss. Inside there was more moss, much like at Ginkaku-ji. Very beautiful, and yet again, serene. There were more sand-sculptures here as well, also in a rectangular shape.

The path to Honenin


Inside Honenin


More moss.

I actually got a little lost looking for Honenin and came upon a cemetary that runs along side of it. I took a quick picture for those of you unfamiliar with Japanese cemeterties. Everyone in Japan is cremated, and typically families have their own grave, which costs quite a bit.

It was in a really secluded area with high trees. You could only hear the semi.

Anraku-ji was next but it was closed, unfortunately. I guess I came at a bad time.

A smaller shrine, O-toyo was open. It had a nice path leading up to it and was quite small, consisting of 4 buildings or so. On the way up I passed 8 Kyoto University students, 4 guys in baseball jerseys and 4 girls in kimono.

The path leading to O-toyo


The outside of O-toyo

After O-toyo I came upon another large temple that was also shut down and under construction, which I think was Nanzenji / Kouunji? Also there was a large grave/tomb outside of it which I cannot identify either, since there was no way to get to it and a google aerial view has done nothing either. While trying to enter the shrine I came upon a weak kitten, all bony and wary of humans. I wish I had some food for it. When I saw it I immediately though of how Buddhist priests usually drown puppies and kittens when they come into their care since no one else can care for them. I think this one won't have anything to do with priests or monks though, since it would be bad for tourism if anything were to happen to it. It will have to live on the streets.

Nanzenji (through the gate)


Anyone know whose this is?

Next I came upon the end of the walk, and I found a little shrine, Nyakuo-ji. It was over a nice little bridge but among a few other houses. It seemed to still be used for community services, there was a van outside and a father came to collect his son from inside. It was only a smaller shrine though. It had some benches with vending machines where I had a drink with someone else who had already drank quite a bit...

Nyakuo-ji


I guess he was tired from religious fervor that ensues from praying to Asahi-Buddha.

I then walked along some more and found Eikando which was more impressive than Ginkaku-ji, only because you could walk around its grounds while monks were meditating and chanting. It was very unique as it was my first time in an actual temple complex, so I could see what I've read about and I sat and wondered what it was like before tourism, when people worshiped here earnestly in isolation. Such a beautiful place, and ideal place for such esoteric thoughts to be born since you cannot even describe the physical beauty of this place; no wonder Buddhists tended to look down upon language for its inadequacies.

You had to take your shoes off to enter, and inside there was a open garden pool with koi, lily-pads, trees, and moss. Near that were rooms with hundreds of years old screen paintings. Further in was another sand sculpture, and in front of it the main meditation area where I was tempted to break the rules and secretly record three monks chanting to a hammer. All throughout the complex a bell would toll every so often making it even more... sacred, or eerie. A combination. Another building housed various Buddhist artifacts, and a shrine that was under construction. After seeing all of this I strolled through it's garden where there were many koi, ducks, and turtles. It was also very serene. Nothing like it in the US, Japan definitely works nature well into it's architecture, as opposed to our lovely strip-malls and lame parks.

From here on there aren't any more photos since I can't upload them for some reason; I'll include some in a link in a future update, sorry.

Anyway, after seeing all this I tried to figure out how to take the bus back to a station, but I couldn't figure it out. I walked for a bit, then took another bus and got off it too early. So I got a good amount of walking in. I just headed west, away from the eastern mountains since I knew I would hit the main strip with stations lined on it. Forunately I remembered the kanji name of the road the Demachiyanagi station was on so I found the same station! I took the express train back to Hirakata (express meaning it didn't stop at two or three of the local train's stops) and half-slept. I was exhausted.

Once in Hirakata I found Mos Burger (Mushroom Burger?) and had a pork-cutlet burger + a salad and an orange juice. I didn't understand much of anything the clerk said besides the price... Oh well. I learned the kanji for "change" while I ate though. I fiddled with my cell-phone to make it look like I'm a foreigner with lots of friends, haha. I do that a lot in restaraunts now. I then bought supplies at the grocery store such as pizza and croissants, and another sausage-bread-thingie. A picture of one in the future, I promise!

That's about it for Kyoto. Today I didn't do much but recooperate and write this up, with some kanji study. I went out to eat at a place I never tried, I think it was called Zanji? I'm not sure. It looked like a good place for friends to go out and eat, so I'll invite people some night to try it. I had pork kimchi and a beer. I don't know why I got the beer as it was 350, more than half of what I paid for the kimchi. It wasn't bad, but I don't think I can ever see myself drinking more than one glass of the stuff ever. Only with food...

Well, take care! Tomorrow not much will be going on. I'm going to plan a trip to Osaka, to Den-Den town which is the freaky-electronics district. Weird pictures and stories will come from there that you should look forward to, concerning the weirdness of modern Japan.