a short run from the city’s main station. I
ORIENTATION Start // Kyoto Station, west of downtown End // Nishigamo Bridge Distance // 6 miles (10km) Getting there // Kyoto has bullet-train connections to Tokyo.
When to go // The river is a popular area for locals for most of the year. But cherry blossom – sakura – season is from the end of March to the middle of April. Where to stay // Gion is the most picturesque area but the downtown and Kyoto Station areas offer the most hotel options and are also near the river.
More info // www.greatruns.com/kyoto-kamo-river-paths Things to know // The paths along the Kamo River are also great for cycling or circuit training as there are benches and exercise areas en route.
I had already done a little running in Kyoto during this trip, but these runs were planned routes in the verdant north of the city, on the grounds of the Imperial Palace. I’d also run the Philosopher’s Walk, a pedestrian path that winds for about a mile and a half along a stream from Ginkaku-ji (Kyoto’s Silver Pavilion temple) to Nanzen-ji, a 13th-century Zen Buddhist temple, which is a must for any runner. The curved, stepped roofs, raked gravel and glowing screens painted with herons make it feel as though you are running in a Hiroshige woodcut scene. But I had ignored the Kamo River, which begins in the mountains in the north and runs all the way to the Shimogamo-jinja shrine in the south. City rivers are often busy places, teeming in foot traffic. Dawdling tourists – naturally, I didn’t consider myself one at this point – make it hard to move at any kind of speed and river routes tend to be more exhaust fumes than views. On this day, however, it seemed to be the most sensible way to get from point A to Point B, and so off I went. Moving away from the busy station to the river path, I entered an incredibly calming space almost immediately. There were wide green banks, abundant with flowers. Reeds sprung out of the water, while egrets fished in the river itself. Cherry blossom season was in its final throes, each puff of wind threatening to carry away the last of the flowers. “This was the Japan I had imagined: the wooden bridges and red-gated Shinto temples of Hiroshige woodcut prints” I passed bridges, but the river is wide and so shallow – less than a metre in most places – that you can actually walk across it, hopping along turtle-shaped stepping stones placed for just such a purpose. The river gently gurgled in the background as it flowed over the flat stones. Locals fish, walk and, like me, run here. Children were splashing in the water. The Kamo passes by Gion, Kyoto’s famous geisha district, though most of it is hidden from view. But at the Pontocho area, restaurants back right onto the water with terraces full of tables. Especially with a destination in mind, I often speed my running up a little, just to get it done. But that evening I found myself running as slowly as I possibly could, just to drink it all in. © Tooykrub | Shutterstock spring brings the cherry blossom A couple of miles in, near Kyoto University, I stumbled onto what appeared to be an impromptu outdoor concert. First it was just one young man playing a violin beautifully – I assumed he was a busker – but a few hundred metres further, a flautist was running up and down some scales. Another couple of hundred metres and I passed a pianist with a battery-powered keyboard. Then some singers, solo and in pairs. A little further and I spotted another violinist. I only later learned this is a popular spot for university music students to practise.
Nearing the end, I came across a final scene so perfect that I actually stopped running for a moment: a couple in traditional Japanese dress walked slowly arm in arm, their backs to me. She in a light pink summer kimono and traditional zori sandals, with perfectly dressed hair, holding a woven bag neatly behind her. He in a dark kimono with a contrasting golden obi belt. It is actually common in Kyoto for Japanese tourists to rent the clothes for the day in order to go sightseeing in them, as a sort of nostalgic and romantic nod to a bygone era. And while it sounds strangely contrived – maybe even a little cheesy – it fits the scene perfectly here along the Kamo, where you are sort of transported to the past.
내 메모 2022.10.30 18:26:31중요