Originally established during the late 13th century, Nanzen-ji remains one of Kyoto’s preeminent Rinzai Zen (Buddhist) Temples and a popular destination for tourists as well as local Japanese visitors. Nanzen-ji’s precincts house a number of smaller temples, as well as the famous “Abbot’s Garden” located adjacent to the Hōjō, or Abbot’s quarters. Although admission to the garden requires payment of a separate fee (there is no fee for admission to the primary grounds, or viewing the Sanmon, but there are fees for entering various parts of the temple grounds), fans of Japanese gardens and traditional landscape art will find the Hōjō worth the price of
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Along the Philosopher’s Path
During my research trip to Japan last summer, I spent a lovely morning walking the Philosopher’s Path, which runs along a tree-lined canal: from Ginkaku-ji (in the north): to Nanzen-ji, at the southern end of the canal, a distance of just under two miles. My son and I walked the path together, and though a determined traveler can cover the distance in under an hour, the wise visitor takes much longer, and stops to see the various shrines and temples along the way. Our afternoon on the Philosopher’s path took almost four hours, start to finish, and though the larger
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