If today is anything to go by, the Pilgrims’ Walk we commence tomorrow should be easy. With another walk planned to find a restaurant for dinner, we will have covered over 20 kms on foot before day’s end!
We started at a leisurely pace, crossing the river that bisects Kyoto and heading east for a few kilometres before turning north and encountering hilly terrain as we made our way to the first of many temples we would visit during the day. One can sense when a temple drawing nearer, as the number of tourist buses increases and pedestrians start filling the available space on the footpath. Flag-bearing guides lead their “followers” eagerly to the next of many sights they will visit during the day.
The Buddhist temples visited today all combined elements of the Buddhist faith we have seen elsewhere through Asia, with elements of Zen and Shintoism. The gardens and walkways were laid out in a peaceful and calming manner with careful placement of trees, shrubs, stones, gravel and carved ornaments. Shrines were also commonplace throughout the temple grounds, and flowing water captured from the surrounding hill tops was used as another calming influence.
A reasonably early start to the day meant we visited the first few temples without too many people around (compared with later in the day). We were able to take in the sights and sounds without too many distractions. Some had World Heritage status for their age, architectural significance and the important part they played in the development of Shinto Buddhism, Japan’s predominant religion.
A number of the temples visited were simply enormous and displayed a craftsmanship in their timber and stone construction that has stood the test of time. Other places of worship were of a more modest size and offered up a more contemplative surrounding.
While out exploring these magnificent temples we noticed (on more than one occasion) signs within the carefully maintained grounds warning visitors that wild boars frequent the park land and should not be approached if sighted. Given we were on the edge of the residential area, we were surprised wild boar would venture so close to built up areas.
One route we followed took us along the “Philosopher’s Path” following a tree-lined waterway around the contour of a steep-sided hill. The path was (and possibly still remains) a place for quiet contemplation and reflection – or maybe just a place to chill out.
One cannot escape the fact it is cherry blossom season, and every opportunity to capture a photo seems to be taken by locals and visitors alike. In our journey we have noticed many young couples dressed in formal wedding attire out with a professional photographer; sometimes also with a make-up artist. Look for them and you will find cherry blossom within range of their massive telephoto lenses.
It is also popular to dress in traditional outfits and once again pose next to, in front of, beside, or underneath a cherry tree in full blossom.
If you can’t wait your turn near the cherry blossom, a simple selfie will do.
As the day progressed we headed south to another series of temples, the largest of which, Chion-in, was undergoing major renovations with a massive steel structure encasing the temple while the roof was being replaced. It was in the grounds of this temple that we found one of the biggest cast bells we have ever seen. Apparently multiple attempts were unsuccessfully made to suspend the weight of the bell before the current structure was built. The logistics of moving the massive bell high up the steep hillside must have pleased the workforce at the time enormously. It is easy to imagine the ringing bell would be heard across Kyoto.
Our walk continued to Kiyomizudera, a famous temple and UNESCO world heritage site, however this time it was through historical streets and narrow laneways lined with old wooden merchant houses selling artisanal Kyoto handicrafts, souvenirs and lots of food items. Kiyomizudera was founded in 798 and the present buildings date back to 1633. It is a magnet for visiting tourists, and the numbers swelled as the laneways narrowed and we approached the temple. It was also an opportunity for locals to dress in traditional clothes as they made their own pilgrimage to the temple (or the next cherry blossom tree).
Battling the crowds and the stairs was well worth the effort. The temple and shrine were located high up a hill overlooking Kyoto, with commanding views to the west across the sprawling suburbs.
With our temple visits concluded, attack by wild boars averted, and hearing damage from the ringing of massive bells avoided we turned back towards the centre of the city. Our next stop was a specialist knife shop that was factory and retail outlet all in one. It was on the other side of the city some kilometres away.
We crossed the river and made our way through narrow back streets, passing geisha boarding houses, tea rooms and theatres where geiko perform. We passed our hotel and continued on through what was apparently the more affluent part of town. Expensive designer clothes were on offer, next to upmarket European coffee houses. Still our walk continued, until we left the high-end stores behind and moved into a more commercial area. Car sales showrooms, markets and other modest businesses were lining the streets.
We rounded the corner into a main thoroughfare and a few shopfronts down on our right was the modest knife shop we were looking for. The bells on the entrance door were struck as we made our way inside. There were no airs and graces about this place. The store was part showroom, part warehouse for storing stock, part factory – with various items that appeared to be works-in-progress. It could also have been home to the couple who own and operate the business.
We were politely greeted in Japanese by an elderly woman who eventually explained in very broken English that some knives they made on site and others were made off site by other manufacturers. We indicated we were interested in a blade size that would considered a chef’s knife and another that would be considered a paring knife. The woman’s husband (and creator of the knives) appeared. His hands reflected years of hard manual labour working steel, shaping handles and finally bringing it all together with a lengthy sharpening process.
We made out from his broken English that the blades he made are layered steel with high carbon centres and stainless side sections. “Carbon, stainless, stainless” with suitable hand gestures, was repeated more than once. We gestured for him to show us the best of those we had been handling and he pointed to a particular style (not the most expensive, we noted) while pronouncing “best”. He and his wife made a sale, while we were happy to support a small business and deal directly with the maker.
Our day concluded with a superb meal in a nearby restaurant at the top of a flight of stairs that reminded us how far we had walked today. It was a shoes-off affair and we were a little concerned that we may be seated on the floor for our evening meal. Fortunately there was a deep recess under the table where our legs could go – although getting back on our feet after the meal was a struggle.
Multiple courses of fish, vegetables and tofu arrived first. A fish platter followed that we cooked ourselves on a chargrill which was located in the central of our table. Chicken, pork and beef followed and was also chargrilled, then dipped into our own choice of a sweet vinegar, soy sauce, and / or finely ground rock salt. Steamed rice topped with dried bonito followed, with a bonus serve of chicken for cooking on the grill. Finally a scoop of three berry ice cream and a cup of oolong tea finished off the meal. We tend to think it was the best meal we have had in Japan to date, though we haven’t yet had a bad one.
Our walk starts tomorrow. We have to catch a bus to the start of the walk – a journey of about 2.5 hours across the inland sea before the walking commences. All up the first day is around 9 kms – today we walked exactly 20 kms! So tomorrow should be easy…