Last day in Kyoto spent exploring temple gardens, walking the Philosophy Path

For our last full day in Kyoto, we started by visiting the bamboo forest and Tenryu-ji Temple (Temple of the Heavenly Dragon) in the Sagano district.

The temple dates back to 1339 but the site had been the location of a temple going back even further to the 1200s.

The weather could not have been better for our visit: Sunshine but not too hot and  light breeze, if any wind at all, and the perfect light for taking photographs.

From the moment we arrived at the temple, we felt we were walking in Zen heaven because of the overwhelming beauty of the fall foliage colours, mostly maples and ginkgo trees, and the tranquility of the temple grounds.

At the heart of the garden is a beautiful pond, surrounded by a splendid assortment of trees with great autumn colours as well as sculptural pines and other evergreens and handsome, well-placed rocks.

We moved slowly, enjoying the calm, serenity of the place and the marvellous ambience of the still water in contrast to the beautiful stone work along the paths and the elegant, low bamboo fencing and classic, traditional temple buildings with their lovely tiled roofs and white walls.

We paused to watch gardeners sweeping up leaf debris from the moss. Their attention to detail was impressive and their enthusiastic work ethic mesmerizing.

From the sanctuary of the temple grounds, we moved into the bamboo forest with its huge, thick towering culms.

Many of us gasped with disbelief at the density and beauty of the forest which went on and on with acres of soaring slim bamboo canes.

We walked and laughed and breathed deeply in the clean forest air and took many photos and touched the bamboo and were still quite astonished at just how smooth it felt and beautiful it looked.

Beyond the bamboo, we came to the river where we saw small boats taking people for a gentle ride on the calm water.

The boats set against the lush tapestry of the mountainside of trees, many in fall transition, made a wonderfully picturesque image.

We stood for a long time in awe yet again at the beauty of our surroundings.

From Tenryu-ji Temple, we crossed Kyoto to visit the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji) and to walk the lovely Philosopher’s Path close by.

First, we wandered into the beautiful Silver Pavilion and were immediately confronted by stunning views and wonderful fall foliage colour and just a peaceful garden full of delightful buildings and raked sand creations and tranquil ponds.

We walked around the garden and up stone steps until we reach a lookout point at the top of the garden and could see over the pavilion’s grounds and rooftops to houses of Kyoto in the far distance.

Our time at this temple was profoundly pleasurable and left us all feeling immensely grateful for having had such a beautiful day to see it and time enough to enjoy every corner without rushing or pressure.

From the garden, we wandered back down the narrow street lined with shops and food outlets and then along the stone lined Philosopher’s Path.

We soon came to a little cafe where I had been four years earlier and loved it. It was open for business and we found a perfect spot next to the little stream that runs along the trail and had a delightful lunch.

The owners of this cafe were very kind and attentive and looked after us as if we were celebrities. We felt very honoured.

Before heading back to the hotel, we wandered a little further up the hill to visit a Zen temple that was open and free and we found more beautiful views inside to admire.

Our day in Kyoto could not have been better. We are going for a farewell dinner this evening. Before we did we dressed up in goofy costumes provided by the hotel for a fun pre-Christmas photo.

But our time here in Japan has been exceptional and we all agreed that we would love to come back again to explore more of its wonderful culture and delightful towns and cities.

swhysall@hotmail.com