Kyoto Vignettes

It rained all day,

a good “stay at home day” as Liam says.

A day to sort through photos and put them in albums.

There were several I didn’t have a place for, but then it occurred to me to categorize them in a fashion that might make sense to those who follow along.

The Masters

Artist and architect Tadao Ando had a brilliant idea a few years to reproduce a handful of masterpieces and display them in an outdoor garden.

It’s a wonderful experience to walk amongst them.

Most of them you know.

Consider doing some research and identifying any you don’t.

The Abbott

Just down the road from Hōnen-in Temple is a small Buddhist Temple, the Anraku-ji.

It’s a lovely place.

The Abbott gives a talk every Sunday afternoon,

after which

milk tea and custard are served at a nominal price.

The Philosopher

There’s a pleasant walk locals like to take known as the “Philosopher’s Path”.

There’s nothing spectacular along the way,

which makes it special in some respects.

It runs along a canal

where the fish that got away,

make their home.

If you’re fortunate,

you might see a young couple hoping to get away from it all,

and a few steps behind them,

a mother.

On the afternoon I walked it, there was a young philosopher,

immersed in Basho’s The Narrow Road To The Deep North.

The Blacksmith

Makato Kawakami toils away in his village studio an hour to the east of Kyoto. But once a month he comes to town to display his art.

After the crowd thinned, he was kind enough to give me a tour,

finishing with his favorite piece.

The Map Makers

A bus, a subway, and another bus from Hibari is the Kyoto Library Archives. There’s presently a small exhibit

of two to three hundred year old maps of Kyoto.

Across the street is a quiet restaurant

with a delicious Udon Noodle soup.

The Chef

Not be outdone, is a little place a block from Hibari.

The Chef serves up a wonderful fried chicken thigh lunch,

known throughout the neighborhood.

If I come across any other stray photos, I’ll make sure to share them with you.