FAVORITE WALK
On my favorite walk in Kyoto,
I say hello to boys on their way to school and listen with great pleasure to
priests at early morning prayer.
Leaving the Miyako Hotel, where I've
been a frequent guest for almost forty years, I walk briefly up Sanjo-dori and then follow the Biwako-sousi Canal down the hill. A
right turn and a short walk leads to a lovely residential area.
Unlike the typical Japanese neighborhood, these are grand homes,
widely separated and facing a quiet street. In the United States, these would be called
mansions; but, somehow, this word does not do them justice. When the front
gates are open, I can see large carp swimming leisurely in stone-lined ponds.
Sometimes, a karasu flies overhead and
lands on a gingko tree with hanging chimes. The strident craw of this Japanese
crow contrasts with the quiet notes of the chimes - a gentle, sensitive
experience.
Leaving these handsome homes, I follow a creek leading to the
street where Higashiyama
High School is nestled
against the wooded mountain side. If my timing is fortunate, I'm immediately
surrounded by boys on their way to school. All smile,
most say "hello" and a few even add "good morning" in
excellent English. All are wearing high collared, dark blue blazers, gray
slacks, caps, and are carrying backpacks filled with books. They are so clean,
so orderly and so civilized. I am reminded how they contrast with many American
school boys.
Continuing beyond the boys' high school, I come to a wide stone
path leading to the Nanzenji Temple.
Usually, the priests are at morning prayer. Their
chanting breaks the complete silence. The traditional architecture of the
temple surrounded by magnificent trees creates a tranquility even the most
insensitive would find difficult to ignore.
My walk leads me to the edge of a deep
flume carrying rushing water from lake
Biwa to
northern Kyoto.
Finally, narrow steps down a steep hill lead back to the hotel.