Philosopher's Path

After our day trip to Osaka the day prior, Ray and I were super excited to spend one more full day in Kyoto. We started the morning with breakfast (some yummy pastries and coffee) from 2/7 kitchen, which was a short walk from our hotel. After grabbing our stuff for the day, we then caught the bus over to the Kinkaku-ji (Golden temple). It was quite a trek up the hill to get to the temple but well worth it! The top two floors of the temple are completely covered in gold leaf, and the temple was a retirement villa of a shogun. It was also the inspiration for the Silver Pavillion (see below). The temple was absolutely stunning against the pretty fall colors!

After our visit to the Golden Temple, we were ready for a quick snack. So, we went over to the McDonalds that was relatively close by (classic tourists...). The McDonalds actually had a nice view over the mountains, and the chicken nuggets hit the spot. Next, we caught the bus over to the Silver Temple. This one was inspired by the Golden Temple and was built by the grandson of the shogun who lived on the Golden Temple's property. The Silver Temple had a really pretty garden and, while small, was a short and pleasant visit. The property has a nice sand garden, moss garden, and a cute bamboo grove.

The Silver Temple is also one of the first stops on the Philosopher's Path, which ended up being one of the highlights of our trip and especially of our time in Kyoto. Amidst the big city hustle and bustle, the Philosopher's Path is a quiet, relaxing, and peaceful respite (about 1.2 miles of walking trails). The Path is named after the influential Kyoto University philosophy professor Nishida Kitaro, who walked it daily for meditation, and, per my research (which I agree with) is a must-visit for quiet reflection, seasonal blooms, and historic temple visits. The maple trees were especially pretty with their red and gold coloring! We walked the full path, all the way to the Nanzen-ji temple complex at the end.

Along the way, we stopped for a small snack (apple cake) and hot tea at Pomme. This was a fun people-watching spot and a pleasant spot to hang out for a bit along the walk. Ray was also very excited as he got a camera "gacha" that made it back to Denver :)

The views along the Philosopher's Path were really nice and this was one of the most peaceful and memorable parts of the trip. 

We then took (what felt like) a very long walk back to our hotel - the scenic route - and walked by the zoo, the downtown shopping area, and others. To save our feet, we needed a break before we headed back out to dinner. 

For dinner, we left early and got in line just in time for Gyoza Taizou. Ray had come across this place in his research as one of the better gyoza restaurants in town. They didn't take reservations, and the restaurant was small (10 seats total), but it was well worth it! When we sat down, we placed our orders for one plate each of gyoza plus our drinks (I got some kind of yuzu/vodka soda that was really refreshing and Ray got a light Japanese beer). We watched as the duo whipped up some of the most amazing gyoza we had ever seen, and they certainly did not disappoint! We only wished we had ordered more! 

After walking around the nearby Nishiki Market for a bit, we were a little hungry and stopped in at another restaurant (Tiger Gyoza) to share a little more food. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as good as the first place, but it sufficed to fill us up.

I'll forever remember the peaceful memory of the Philosopher's Path and my favorite meal on our Japan trip from this Kyoto day! :)

Amy