Philosopher's Path

Just as Yellin began his journey at the Philosopher’s Path by spotting a young couple, our group encountered a young man and woman embracing at the onset of the trail. The octopus sign mentioned at the beginning of the text was noticeably absent and in its place a vacant building with an advertisement for rent. The area around the trail is bustling and lined with small shops and restaurants. We came across some steps by the river as we walked along the path that Yellin did not mention. The steps offered a place of reflection by the water. Nearby the steps was an inlet of rushing water emitting loud sounds like a waterfall. Further down the path there was construction crew working. Along the path people are reading, taking photos, sketching and feeding birds. At the end of the street near the bottom of the hill that leads to the Ginkakuji shrine, was a large stuffed teddy bear which Yellin claims has been in the same spot since the 60s. The shops and galleries he mentions in the text however are gone. Further down the path the noise dies out and shade from the trees offers refuge from the beating sun. More teddy bears sitting on a bench are fishing in the river below. Near the hill at the bottom of Honen-in sits a rock shrine decorated with red aprons. We spotted karp in the river burrowing underneath greenery against the current. The walk to Honen-in was covered in beautiful shade and a lush smell. A fenced walkway uphill leads to a pebble path. The ground near the shrine was uneven just as Yellin described. Between two sand sculptures the rough path leads to a metal sculpture of Honen in a small shrine. Next to the shrine was a rock with two feet carved into it. There was a man sleeping nearby, leaning against a temple pillar. We later saw him awake wondering through the temple grounds. Behind another shrine building was a large rock sculpture with a sign that Yellin pointed out reading “Listen, Think, Accept, Practice, Believe.” A branching pebble path lead to a graveyard with hundreds terraced stone gravestones along the mountainside. A smell of incense wafted through the air as a lone woman was cleaning the grounds. After wandering through the graveyard we found a path through the mountain. Moving up the path, we spotted small markers tied to trees along with red and yellow strips of fabric. Ascending up the steep path we spotted a deer. The path was formed from dirt and the weaving of roots, making uneven steps towards a sign in Japanese. We couldn’t read the sign so we continued up the path. Shortly after there was a fork in the path and we went left. A handrail along the mountainside made the climb a bit easier. At the end of the handrail our group split up. Lucia and Bobby went back down the mountain. Gabby and Jesse climbed higher up the mountain before discovering that we were on Daiomonji mountain. After reaching a plateau we decided to go back down to the graveyard and make our way to the bus stop. Meanwhile Bobby and Lucia trekked down the mountain, but not before Lucia stopped to meditate upon a rested log overlooking the vantage of the city and the cascading mountains behind. After her meditation was ended by the fluttering of insects wings upon her skin, the two continued down the mountain, where proudly Bobby only slipped once. At the bottom they continued the philosophers path, to come upon the Rat shrines as mentioned by Yellin. Where Lucia patronized the shrine by making an offering at the shrine which happens to be significant as her year of birth was the year od the rat. As they continued down the path they came upon the meowing station, where Cats rested in the shade of the trees, as tourists and locals alike photographed and attempted to play with the cats, whom looked less interested in their efforts, and more interested in catching a nap.