In the afternoon, I descended from Ginkaku-ji and set off on a two-kilometer walk starting from the entrance of the nearby Philosopher’s Path.
The Philosopher’s Path got its name from Nishida Kitaro, a philosophy professor at Kyoto University, who used to stroll and meditate along this path every day. Perhaps the philosopher truly gained some insights here, as the path gradually became more famous. I first heard of the Philosopher’s Path in the book "Romantic Escape" by Ashin, the lead singer of Mayday. He wrote: “I’ve never been a real philosopher, but at least I’ve walked along the Philosopher’s Path once.”
Inspired by those words, I made the Philosopher’s Path a must-visit destination.
P.S. He also said the Philosopher’s Path is his ideal place to propose (lol).
But actually, I had the fortune of walking along another section of the Philosopher’s Path many years ago—it was at Yuan Ze University in Taiwan. Back then, I looked forward to encountering the real Philosopher’s Path, and that wish only came true years later.
When I visited Kyoto this time, it was the dead of winter. There was no snow falling from the sky, but I saw a different kind of desolation among the bare branches. Yet the path remained bustling with people, and strolling along it offered a sense of leisure. The Philosopher’s Path stretches continuously for two kilometers, dotted along the way with various shrines, temples, coffee shops, and small stores, making it especially popular with visitors in the afternoon.
Walking along the Philosopher’s Path feels nothing short of tranquil, as if it were a world apart from “Kyoto.” There’s a quiet liveliness here—people take walks, walk their dogs, chat, and laugh—but you can still hear the sound of the wind, the water, and the trees… all of which naturally slow your steps as you try to locate the source of each sound.
Perhaps it’s this rare tranquility that keeps people’s feet from moving on—you’ll find yourself wanting to stay here, for a long, long time.
Midway along the Philosopher’s Path, I encountered my favorite Shiba Inu. I thought just getting to play “reach out your hand” with the dog would be happiness enough, but as I walked further, I found myself in feline paradise. At first, only three or four cats gathered around, with two of them even jumping onto chairs to curl up on people’s laps. These cats weren’t shy at all, staring straight at people. If they took a liking to someone, they’d come over to nuzzle and act coquettishly, making it impossible not to reach out and pet them.
I thought these were just a few stray cats, but when I reached the front of the Kumano Wakamiya Shrine, I was greeted by a whole scene of cats.
And so, within those mere two kilometers of the Philosopher’s Path, I found my footsteps delayed by cats—watching cats, playing with cats, photographing cats. Countless cat-loving travelers stopped in their tracks, and encountering an adorable group of cats right before the end of the walk made for a lazier afternoon than anything else.