Philosophy and Blossoms

I wake around 5 as I know this is the best time to escape the crowds in this very busy tourist haven. It is raining, as I knew it would be. I had been watching the weather for the last week and the forecast kept getting worse- 50mm rain expected today. But what do you do… that’s just part of travel. The most beautiful place I believe I have ever been to (Plitvice National Park in Croatia) I spent 6 hours walking in pouring rain in a partly flooded and closed national park. You just do it anyway! And today I was headed for the famed “Philosopher’s Path” and of anywhere in Kyoto I had been looking forward to this. I had purchased a Seed poncho specifically for today… so rain or no rain, here I come.

Firstly I wandered the streets around the Kiomizudera area for some of Kyoto’s most picturesque scenery at Ichinezaka, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka.

These sloping streets are lined with historic Japanese style buildings that typify Kyoto. Traditional buildings (private homes and shops selling souvenirs and various Japanese products to sweet shops and restaurants) line the narrow streets. Of course nothing is open and there are barely any people around… except a couple having wedding photos taken (that poor wedding dress)…

… no one else is silly enough to wander the streets in this pouring rain at 5.30am. But it is perfect for me… without the crowds, here I can immerse myself in the atmosphere of Kyoto, with Hokan-ji’s three-tiered pagoda overlooking the perfect scene- just as I would a have imagined in my dreams.

Except that I wouldn’t have been wet… as I have come to the conclusion that my new poncho is totally not waterproof! Shame Seed! I am already soaking wet and there is a long day ahead.

I continue my wandering to Gion Shirakawa- perhaps Kyoto’s most beautiful street.

Shirakawa district is found along the small Shirakawa Canal, crossed by picturesque bridges and lined with weeping willows and cherry trees.

The majestic willow trees are indeed a sight, their long strings of leaves danced and swayed in the breeze as they dripped with droplets of rain. The pale pink of cherry blossoms and the green willows form a delightful contrast. An old, small and very quaint stone and wood bridge crosses the canal towards some homes and is the perfect spot to take pictures.

I had briefly passed here yesterday afternoon and there were throngs of people vying for a spot to take a photo, many donned in beautiful kimonos. Now there is no one- not even one person to ask to take a photo 😢. It provides the perfect setting for nostalgia with its dark wood houses, overhanging branches and a softly babbling brook. Picture perfect!

Next… the Philosophers Path… although I made a short pit stop to buy myself a very needed umbrella. This intimate two kilometre path gets its name from the prominent Japanese philosopher Nishanda Kitaro who is reported to have said that the path was a good place for meditation. The Sakura blooming along the canal which cover the path like a canopy and the fallen petals underfoot make this the most popular spot in all of Kyoto during the Sakura season… maybe all of Japan.

As I meandered the Philosophers Path, I certainly contemplated what the hell I was doing on a tiny back path in the outskirts of Kyoto in the pouring rain? Beauty was all I could come up with. I am a lover of beauty. When I chase blossoms it’s about beauty. When I chase waterfalls it’s about beauty. What a beautiful world we are blessed to live in…

I want to experience as much of it as is possible in my one life. And open others eyes to the possibilities. Even when things don’t necessarily go the way we envision them… like walking in the rain… and not having the blossoms I had hoped for to bathe the path and canal in cascades of pink. But it is simply stunning anyway…

… and there are a few late blooming varieties around to brighten up the very grey day.

I absolutely loved strolling this path… it was just so pretty… captivating… and I soaked up the meditative ambience. The rain was persistent and heavy and the path was beginning to flood in parts… and little gushing waterfalls were forming and cascading down the hills into the canal… but still I walked. The sound of the water was all around me… which I loved. The advantage of the weather (and being early once again) was that there were no huge flocks of crowds and I virtually had the path to myself.

I stop for brunch when I am finished this part of my wandering… I have already walked well over 10 kilometres and need breakfast. And a break from the rain. I have a seasonal crepe breakfast with cherries, sakura ice cream and chocolate and it is delicious. And a hot chocolate as now that I have stopped walking and am quite wet, I am cold. Actually shivering. I need to get walking again to warm up and there is still plenty planned for my day.

I wander back through the sprawling grounds of Nanzen-ji Temple To the hidden gem of Tenju-au-Zen temple, a sub-temple nestled within the complex and boasting a beautiful Japanese garden. Tucked away from the crowds, there are two distinct gardens to explore, with the first being a karesansui dry garden and the second featuring a narrow wooden bridge leading to a bamboo grove and a large koi-filled pond.

Another shrine…the Heian Shrine is next on the agenda and it’s definitely not to visit the shrine. I’m actually not that into the temples and shrines although I love their cultural importance… but you actually can’t avoid them even if you wanted to… with over 2000 just in Kyoto. They are pretty much on every corner and street. But many of them have the most spectacular gardens… particularly during cherry blossom season. And of course, this is what I love.

Now to some extent I am no longer chasing the blossoms… I have had to accept that I am too late generally for the extravagant shows of blossoms that would have enveloped Kyoto a couple of weeks ago. But Heian shrine features a large number of late blooming pink weeping cherry trees throughout its gardens. And they were stunning!

I then walked to the tongue-twisting Konkaikomyoji Temple, known as Kurodani for short. This is a sprawling temple complex with a variety of impressive buildings all at different elevations. And cherry trees… past their bloom. And beautiful misty views.

In the middle of Kyoto. With seasonal beauty. It’s the one place I have managed to get to that gives views over Kyoto. Even if it is not clear.

It is still raining… and there’s still no one much around. I was planning on visiting another temple close by that had great views… but I got lost (yes again) and was so tired I ended up eventually finding a taxi and came home for a short break to rest my weary body before dinner.

I head to Pontocho… quite early to try to beat the crowds that make it almost impossible to get into any restaurant. There are always queues… and I don’t have the energy to stand for an hour in a queue. This time of the day is my favourite time here… just after dusk, before the bulk of people arrive for dinner and the light is just so beautiful. Golden hour.

Pontocho is a very popular, tiny alley with an extensive restaurant selection, just near my hotel… and I love it! The buildings along the alley tried to retain their historical character and there is a delightful moody ambience… you feel as you are again transported to another time. When I come out after dinner, the rain has finally stopped. Yay!

My last stop for the night was Kodaiji Temple for the Night Illumination- apparently the best overall night-time illumination in Kyoto thanks to its range: a high-tech projection mapping show, illuminated buildings…