Philosopher’s Path and Train Museum

Yes, it’s really called the Philosopher’s Path, or at least that’s the English translation of Tetsugaku-no-michi, and no, that’s not the only reason we walked it.  It’s a beautiful stroll that begins right outside Ginkaku-ji and continues alongside a canal.  The path is lined with cherry trees and is one of the best spots in the city (which is renowned for its cherry blossoms) for cherry blossom viewing.  Not that we saw many when we were there, but it was a pleasant, scenic walk all the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea we had was to walk along the Philosopher’s Path to the end (which we did) and then go a couple blocks west to the zoo.  We figured by this point that Logan had been a really good sport about all the temples and it was time for him to have some fun.

Unfortunately, the zoo happened to be closed that day!  However, we did find this MASSIVE torii gate very near the zoo.  It is the entrance to Heian Jingu which we chose not to visit—you can’t do everything.  But the torii gate is the largest in Japan at almost 80 feet tall and the top rail over 100 feet wide.

Luckily for Logan, even though the zoo had been closed we had a few other surprises in store for him.  So the next morning we headed off to the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum.

While waiting for our own train ride, Logan very intently watches other trains go past, including the Shinkansen (the bullet train).

Logan’s reaction was a bit different than expected.  He was excited about the roundhouse, the model trains and the Thomas display, but the locomotives themselves (18 of them!) rather overwhelmed him.  Still it was a hit overall and left us in close proximity to our next adventure . . .