Walking the Path of Philosophy

With our luggage in tow, we crammed into the busy Tokyo subway to make out way to Shinagawa station. We recommend avoiding rush hour, especially with luggage.  Everyone is packed in like sardines.  This is more a literal description than simile.  Once at Shinagawa, we waited for 90 minutes to catch the Shinkansen to Kyoto (90 minutes for the non-smoking car).

We dropped our bags at Gion Hatanaka, our ryokan for three nights in Kyoto.  Getting near to the end of the day, we took a cab to Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion).  The pavilion was under construction and the roof was nearly complete, but the inside was hollow.  Still, the sand garden and surrounding grounds were a sight. Beyond the pavilion, one of the main attractions is a large manmade rock formation that is meant to look natural.  Most of the trees were Japanese maples and there were some cherry blossom and camellia trees in bloom.

A combination of some tourists, locals out walking their dogs, and young couples made for a peaceful stroll.

We then walked along the canal, the Tetsugaku-no-Michi (Path of Philosophy) where the sakura were in full bloom.  A combination of some tourists, locals out walking their dogs, and young couples made for a peaceful stroll.  Along the path, we came across Reikan-ji temple, built as a nunnery in which the daughter of each emperor served as the abbess.

We came across another Shinto temple that we didn't know the name of (not the first time for us here in Kyoto) then continued on to the Kyoto Handicraft Center to pick up some gifts.  This place is a one-stop shop for souvenirs.  Last week, when Taufiq took us here, he confessed that when he visits people, he often stops here to bring along some gifts from Kyoto.

The day ended with a phenomenal kaiseki dinner served by our charming hostess, Hirami.  A 10-course meal with small, elaborate, labor-intensive dishes left us more than satisfied. There were some dishes we liked more than others, and some that were new to us (whole fried little fish being one -- sorry, fella) but there was no disagreement about the sashimi (tuna, shrimp and sea bream) or the amazing little scoop of strawberry ice cream.