The Philosopher's Walk

Another sunny warm day.  We started at the Craft Museum which was great but even more interesting was the international conference on GPS navigation that I listened in on. They were talking about flying planes without pilots and the strategies available for making sure that the GPS signals couldn't be jammed when a plane was ready to land. We weren't allowed to take pictures. I took these two guys before I knew that.

Day care or the lack of it is a big problem in Japan and it is a priority to expand access as they need women to stay in the workforce if they are going to grow their economy and care for the rapidly aging population.  

We then went to the Silver Palace, built by a younger Emperor who did not want to compete with his grand father's Golden one.  We aren't going to the Gold palace because it is too crowded. Fine by me this was crowded enough but still beautiful especially when we climbed up to the pagoda and looked out over the city. It was the most beautiful display of red maples that we have seen. We had lunch at an udon noodle house and had the afternoon to ourselves.

The silver palace has special rocks that glitter silver in the sunlight and one big pile that is supposed to represent I think Mt. Fuji.

Liza, Ruth, Ron and Iwent on The Philosophers Walk, a beautiful path next to a canal that linked several shrines. After the big crowds it was just a lovely walk.  A bunch of cats were lounging in the sun and I took the cell phone out of my purse so I could email pics to the girls. I put the purse back into my camera bag. At the end of the walk just a couple of hundred meters further on I noticed my purse was gone. Ron came back with me and we found my health care cards crunched up but nothing else. I felt badly but relieved that I have my phone and back at the hotel my passport and Canadian cards.  

The Philosophers Walk

Ruth, Ron and Liza

There have been a lot more women in kimonos than we expected

Houses in the area were lovely and very Japanese

Entertainers and Artists along the walk

The scene of the crime

We stopped in at another shrine on the way back and I think god wanted to reassure me because it was the most beautiful spectacular display of maples we have seen.  I was just in awe and it put everything into perspective


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When we got back the hotel staff filed a police report and helped me call internationally to close my cards, which took over an hour and a half. I had photocopied all my cards and it could have been so much more difficult without the numbers.   My travel buddies were so glad we were all together and I didn’t have to deal with it by myself and I agree.  The hotel staff were great. Ted took me to the ATM to make sure I could get money and was upset as this is almost unheard of. There were so many tourists it could easily have been one of them. So all is well that ends well. 

We had an entertaining dinner with a calligrapher, a musician who played for us and a kimono designer.  The calligrapher wrote out our names on a card and told us what the symbols meant.  Mine was hope, sparkly, listening ear (or Jesus Christ?) and a bell.  It was like getting your fortune told. It was an unexpected treat and they worked hard to make a good evening for us. I'm tired now, feels like a long day  Will add pictures tomorrow.