Arguably March 1st is one of the most significant days of the year: if you assume the three months of springtime are March, April and May, then March 1st is the first day of Spring.
Alternatively, if you have a more flexible view of when Spring begins, then the first day of Spring could be the first day that actually feels like it’s Spring.
On both counts, March 1st in Kyoto was the first day of Spring this year – at least for those of us fortunate enough to spend it in Kyoto.
After an unusually cold, late winter, there was suddenly this day of bright, warm sunshine – warm enough to take off coats and even sweaters. It was a brilliant day – an incredibly perfect day for taking a stroll along the Philosophers’ Walk and visiting Zen gardens and temples.
The Philosophers’ Walk is a place of peace and beauty – a perfect place for a walking-meditation. It begins at Ginkaku-ji temple – the Silver Pavillion – and runs alongside a river heading south down the far eastern side of the city, exactly where the built environment meets the moutains. The views from the temples and their gardens are quite stunning, as are the temples and gardens themselves.
It hardly seems worthwhile trying to describe them with words, since that’s probably been done extremely well elsewhere by professional writers. In this blog, photographs will have to suffice.
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3D Eye 