Map of Minami-zenji Temple and Lake Biwa Shusui Shusaku in Higashiyama, Kyoto

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At my place in Kyoto, I took notes on the history of Ziimei's names and walked along the Ziimei-dori Shui. We visited several temples that day, including Nanzenji and Tenjuan in Higashiyama, and Tofukuji and Yukihouji in Fushimi. Nanzenji Temple's 22-meter three gates are a stunning wooden structure with a strong sense of history. I took off my shoes and climbed up two steep steps in order to see the entire temple, and the beauty of the building is beyond words, and it touches my heart.

Just a few steps away from Sanmon, Tensho-an is very green, with moss growing all over the boulders, piles of rocks, trees, and even the twists and turns of the branches. Compared to the exquisite Saiho-ji Temple, it is a more wild beauty. I also like the natural environment around Dongshan Mountain, the climate is humid, moss grows everywhere, and the clear stream flows all the way from the mountain along the watercourses on both sides of the path, which makes you want to walk to the very beginning of the path and see the source of the stream for yourself.

On the way there, I passed by Yongguan Hall and stopped at the entrance. The plaque at the main entrance of the Yongguan Hall reads “Yushinmen”. Yushin, when I see this word, I can't help but read it out in Japanese, あそびここころ, which is a playful pronunciation in itself and brings a touch of Zen here as well.

Returning to the nearby subway station. When I left Namchonji Temple, the humidity was still there, so I thought it was too cozy for me. It's also hard to tell the difference between a temple and an ordinary house just by looking at the exterior. There are irregularly shaped stones that are cemented into the road. I don't know if it's for the sake of aesthetics or something else, but just from the stone piers, it looks like it grew naturally with the surrounding trees, moss, and flowing water.

When I arrived at the vicinity of the Cujiage MTR station, I saw some billboards with the words “Biwako Reservoir” on them. After checking the information carefully, I realized that I had peeked into an interesting world, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The humidity and quietness of the Dongshan neighborhood and the hydrophobic walks of Zimingtong are in the same vein, and this vein is Biwako Shui.

Lake Biwa in the nearby city of Otsu is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, and the Meiji government spent more than twice the annual budget of Kyoto to build this unprecedented project in order to transport the abundant water resources to Kyoto. The canal still plays an important role today. Biwako Shimizu was recognized as a “Japanese Heritage Site” in June 2020, with the words “Kyoto and Otsu linked to what is the waterway of hope, Biwako Shimizu ~ Boats can be used to walk and touch the Meiji hitotoki” “The waterway of hope that connects Kyoto and Otsu, Biwako Shimizu ~ The Meiji period moment that can be touched by boat and on foot. Around Lake Biwa Shimizu, more and more rich contents are emerging. The creation of an official website, the publication of a simple brochure, the design of a canal logo, and the publication of walking maps of each of the three sections of the Lake Biwa Shimizu waterway ...... are all part of the ongoing renewal of the heritage that has continued since the designation of the site.

In March 2023, all 3 sections of the Sansaku-do “そすいさんぽ” (hydrophobic walk) were completed. Sosui Sanpo is what I saw on the signage at Zimingtong. These signs are called “kiloposts” (kilometer signs), and they are placed every 1km.

As I mentioned earlier, there are three segments in the hydrophobic walk, so I followed the official Shusetsu route and roamed around the map. The first section is the Otsu-Ampagawa route. Starting from the blue Lake Biwa, it passes through Yamashina, Cujikami, Okazaki, and ends at Kamogawa, a total of 12.5km. The second picture below shows Lake Biwa to the east and Cuju to the west, while the first picture shows Cuju to the west, Mukyo-an to the west, and the river flowing eastward to Kamogawa.

Section 2, Kamogawa Canal Route: 12.6km from Kamogawa southward, passing through Fukakusa and Fushimi to Ujigawa River. The Nara Line passes through this area, and the station names are very rustic and elegant. From Tofukuji Temple to Tamba Bridge: Toba Street, Fushimi Inari, Fukakusa, Fujimori, and Murakumo ...... is a beautiful landscape picture.

Segment 3, the Shuzui Route: Starting from Juju, the route goes through Philosophy No Michi, Matsukazaki, and Horikawa-dori, totaling 9.7km. On that day, I passed through Eikando, Higashiyama High School, Nomura Museum of Art, and came to Minamizenji Temple and Mizukaku, which is the starting point of the third section. One morning, I traveled from Horikawa Shimei to Kamogawa, which is the end of the third short route. When I thought of this, I was so happy that I told my friend that I have a special relationship with the water in Kyoto. On the other hand, Kyoto has many rivers and water systems, and it values water so much, and I just happen to be a person who coincides with Kyoto. But isn't that good?

The 3 sections start at Jukami and meet the 1 section at Jukami. Conversely, the Biwako Sluice comes from Otsu, passes through Yamashina, and splits into two at Jukami, one going north and west through Minami-Zenji Temple and Tetsu-no-do to meet Horikawa, and the other going through to Kamogawa. The total length is 37.8km. What I particularly like and am touched by is the integration of “point” heritage scattered in the region, and the promotion and packaging of the whole area, which promotes the branding of the place and the establishment of the image of the place. This is also the aim of Japan Heritage.

First night in Kyoto, we spent the night in a capsule hotel in Shijo Kawaramachi. After dropping off my luggage, I went to the nearby Maruzen bookstore, because I heard that Maruzen has a lot of Kyoto local guides. When I opened the elevator door and entered the store, I couldn't really say “a lot”, there was a whole wall in front of me. The other rows are filled with domestic books and travel books from other countries. The quantity and quality of the books were amazing, and I could only describe my feeling as giddy.

I like the bookshelf of “Local History”, I read a few books, and then I came back here to try to understand some of the contents. I didn't want to bring too much luggage, so I refrained from buying books, which I think is a bit regrettable now (fortunately, the internet information is sufficient for the time being). Next time I go to Kyoto, I would like to pick up some maps of the Shusetsu Road from the Biwako Memorial Hall. I was told by Mr. Yuan Yuan that I should go to Lake Biwa when I have the chance, but it turns out that it is also the source of the upper reaches of the hydrophobic area. Suddenly, I felt that in the process of learning about the hydrophobicity of Lake Biwa, something that had died long ago, something that I couldn't recognize, had quietly resurrected somewhere in my heart after decades of time. Perhaps it was the moist vapor of Kyoto that awakened the sleeping ones.

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