Crossing Bridges: Walking the Philosopher's Path

I shifted underneath my comforter, not wanting to wake up yet. I yawned and curled up on my futon. I had slept so well. Eventually, my bladder decided it was time to get up, so I sleepily pushed my comforter off me and stumbled to the bathroom. When I emerged my friend was stirring in her futon, and once we were both more awake and dressed, we decided to start our adventure for the day.

Senmon Gate: Entrance to Nanzenji Temple

Breakfast that morning consisted of mostly rice balls from 7-Eleven and were eaten on our way down to the train station. Today we were going to walk the Philosopher's Path, and I was very excited. Kyoto is the historic city of Japan, and today we were going to see and walk along some of that history. We got off the train and walked to our first stop: Nanzenji Temple.

Built in the mid-13th century, Nanzenji Temple was a thing of beauty. Unfortunately, the original buildings no longer stand. Like many buildings in Japan, the temple was constructed with wood, and fires were the most common cause of death for buildings. When we first approached the temple, I was amazed at the size of it...until I realized that what I was seeing was only the gate into the temple grounds. Once I stepped through, I found myself amazed by the size of the temple grounds, and the actual size of the temple. It was small compared to the temples that surrounded our hotel, but it spread itself out, with multiple covered walkways zig-zagging through beautiful gardens.

A Covered Walkway at Nanzenji Temple

There was a moment of embarrassment when one of the employees waved us over after we entered to tell us we had to pay to explore it. But we happily did, and we walked with as much grace as we could through the corridors. A wave of calm and peace came over me the further we adventured in, and I found my voice quieting as I took in the beauty of my surroundings. It was scenery that I had never seen in America and would not be able to find anything comparable once I returned. I could've stayed there forever. It made me want to sit and contemplate things about life (and sitting still and thinking is not one of my strong points). There was still much more we were going to see that day, so I said goodbye the calm, put my shoes back on, and exited back into the world.

The Top of the Aqueduct

Here at this temple, there was a huge aqueduct system that still stands from the Meiji Era. You are allowed to walk along a section of it, so up we went, making sure we stayed far enough away from the edges so a slip didn't result in a fall into the rushing water or off the aqueduct completely. Once we had felt like we had seen all we could on Nanzenji, we continued on the Philosopher's Path. The path goes along a canal that runs through old Japanese neighborhoods. Walking along the Philosopher's Path was like stepping back in time. This path became known as the Philosopher's path because famous Japanese philosopher Nishida Kitaro would walk along this path to meditate back in the 1800s. It really was a walk through history. We were there during the summer, so all the trees were green, which was still very pretty. But I couldn't help but imagine what this walk would've looked like in the spring when all the cherry blossoms would be in bloom. My list of places to return to during my next trip to Japan kept on growing.

Ginkakuji Temple

The path comes to an end at Ginkakuji Temple, a little less than 2 kilometers away from Nanzenji Temple. Ginkakuji was much larger than Nanzenji, and it seems to be (at least according to my research) because Ginkakuji used to be a retirement home for one of the shogun. There were multiple buildings at this temple as well, but instead of an aqueduct to climb up on, there was a pathway that snaked its way across the hillside, offering yet another scenic walk. At the highest point, you could look down and see the temple, the pagoda, and the gift shop. Beyond that, a little bit of the city was peeking through the trees. There was no better word to describe it: beautiful. Absolutely stunning. My mind was blown with how much beauty could be found in this massive city. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, it has proven to be really hard to find beautiful areas that aren't next to a highway or reeking of pollution. You have to go further out of the city before you start to see the rolling hills and forests of Virginia. The feeling I got in Tokyo was similar. While both cities are beautiful in their own way, I've always preferred the sights and feelings of being in the country (or at least in a more country-like setting). Kyoto was a best-of-both-worlds city. We didn't have to go far to find beauty,

There is no specific direction you have to walk the Philosopher's Path in. We started at Nanzenji and walked to Ginkakuji, but you can do it the opposite way too. The way we went ended up being the long way around, as we ended up doubling back and going to Heian Temple, which was closer to Nanzenji. Along the path, there are a lot of different shrines and temples along the way that you can stop at, as well as venturing into the neighborhoods which will often make your trek even longer, which is all good in my book. It's an all-day adventure that I would not pass up if you ever find yourself in Kyoto.