Also along the Path of Philosophy is a small temple called Honen-in, honoring a famous priest from the 1100's who spread Buddhism among the common people instead of just the nobles. He spread it a bit too wildly, arguing that everyone was equal in Buddha's eyes, which didn't sit well with the other noble Buddhist sects. So they told the emperor that Honen was urging the commonfolk to have sex with noble women, which apparently was enough to rouse the emperor into actually doing something for the first time in centuries. He had Honen exiled, but eventually allowed him to return at the ripe old age of 79, whereupon he fasted for a year and starved to death. He's also famous for repeating a prayer to Buddha 60,000 times a day every day, presumably a fairly short prayer.

The path is also lined with tea shops, which appear to be the world's worst business proposition. At left is a typical example. The "restaurant" typically seats two people, who then engage in an elaborate ritual. The owner, decked out in kimono, begins the teamaking ritual, which takes about 30 minutes of whisking, turning, heating, bowing and I forget what else. You're then served the tea, and there's a ritual involved in drinking it as well. It involves spinning the cup around a lot and drinking from different sides of the cup. As a foreigner, you're not expected to know the routine, but you will obey it, as the owner will forcefully guide the cup and your hands into proper gestures. The whole thing takes about an hour but it's fun to do once, if you don't mind the bitter lukewarm green tea you've got to drink. All in I think the experience costs about $5, and since the owner can only handle two people at a time, something doesn't add up with the economics, but I guess on the Path of Philosophy, economics don't matter.

Next stop on our Kyoto tour is the Path of Philosophy, so named for a famous philosophy professor who used to take a daily walk along this path. Today, the philosophers come in many shapes and sizes, including cub scout packs selling candy to the hordes of tourists. (As will be apparent from the photos, when I said in the introduction that Japan gets few tourists, I meant foreigners, as the Japanese have a huge enthusiasm for touring their country, and you're never alone on your travels.) The area is particularly popular because it's lined with cherry blossoms, which by coincidence were blooming during our visit. This two to three weeks of blossoming marks a highlight in Japan, the Cherry Blossom Festival. The Japanese love their cherry blossoms even more than pachenko, and the whole country takes on a carnival atmosphere. Crowds of well dressed people walk slowly through the gardens, examining each blossom very carefully, and many people have what look to be professional film crews on hand to expertly film each blossom. By lunchtime the festival takes on a more festive air, as the whole country picnics under their favorite tree, gradually getting drunk until night time. And it's very important to get the right tree, as you'll see young office workers setting up picnic areas under the best trees early in the morning, reserving them for their bosses parties later on. The flowers are beautiful, but the real reason to come to Japan during this time if at all possible is to marvel at the obsessiveness the Japanese show toward them.