Vol 2 Chapter 1 Part 5

And then it was Saturday. I was going to meet Holmes at 9:00 a.m. at the entrance to the Philosopher’s Walk, a path that passes by several shrines and temples. To get there, I simply have to go all the way east on Imadegawa Street until I reach a north-south road called Shirakawa Street. Right past there is the entrance to the Philosopher’s Walk.

I could take the bus, but since it’s within biking distance, I’ll bike there, I thought, but I soon regretted it. Past East Oji Street it was an uphill slope all the way! It was painful to say the least. I’m sure the way back will be a breeze, though. I diligently pedaled away. My present for the owner rattled around in the bike basket. It was a famous brand of sake from Saitama called “Tenranzan.” Since I didn’t know what to give a world-class connoisseur, I asked my mom. She said that sake would be a safe choice and helped me order it.

Pedaling with all my might, I finally reached the top of the slope. There I could see a small bridge with a sign that said “Jodoji Bridge,” and to the right, the wooden sign saying “Philosopher’s Walk.” Holmes was standing on the bridge, smiling and waving at me. My eyes were instinctively drawn to his clothes: a shirt and jeans, making for a casual and crisp look.

I crossed the street and got off my bike when I reached the bridge. “S-Sorry for making you wait.”

“So you did come by bike. I see you survived the Imadegawa slope.” He chuckled and handed me an unopened sports drink. He must’ve gotten it knowing that I’d come by bike. Yet again, I was impressed by his intuition and preparation skills.

“Thanks. I thought it’d be fine distance-wise, but I never expected such a long slope.” I twisted open the bottle and gulped the drink down, feeling it seep through my tired body.

“Since you live on the north side, if you were coming by bike, then it might’ve been easier to take North Oji Street and then turn south onto Shirakawa Street.”

“What? You should’ve told me that sooner!” I looked at him in anger.

“I should’ve,” Holmes said with a laugh. “Well then, let’s go. Oh, I’ll push your bike for you.” He grabbed the handlebars and started walking slowly, pushing the bike.

“Thanks…” I quietly followed behind him, impressed again by his charms.

Trees lined both sides of the Biwako Canal, their leaves tinged slightly red. These were all cherry blossom trees. I’m sure this place must look gorgeous in the spring. The leaves rustled in the wind as if matching the tranquil sound of the water flowing through the canal. There were fancy cafes all around us too, and I felt kind of excited. The Philosopher’s Walk really was the most ideal place for thinking while taking a relaxing stroll. It was wonderful.

“Is the house close to here?”

“It’s a bit of a walk, but yes.”

“I see. I’m looking forward to it.” What kind of house will it be? The owner’s always wearing a kimono, so is it going to be a traditional Japanese-style house? It must be big, since he can hold a party there. Ahh, I’m so excited.

“I have to do my best to help too,” I murmured to myself, clenching my fist.

Holmes gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, I already finished the setup last night and this morning.”

“Wh-What?”

“Since you came all this way, I was thinking of showing you around Ginkaku-ji. What do you think? Have you been there before?” he asked with an awkward smile.

“Ginkaku-ji…” Meaning “Temple of the Silver Pavilion,” it’s a Zen Buddhist temple near the entrance to the Philosopher’s Walk. “I went there on a school trip in middle school, but I don’t remember much. I do remember the Philosopher’s Walk, though. But since we went to Kinkaku-ji first, I was disappointed that Ginkaku-ji wasn’t silver,” I said with a shrug. Kinkaku-ji, the “Temple of the Gold Pavilion,” is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Kyoto because its top two stories are covered in pure gold leaf.

Holmes nodded as if he’d expected that answer. “Many people say that, but Ginkaku-ji has its charms too. The temple itself isn’t silver, but it has the austere feeling of oxidized silver.”

“Oxidized silver…?”

“Yes. For example, if my hearty and flamboyant grandfather is Kinkaku-ji, then my calm and graceful father is Ginkaku-ji.”

His metaphor came out of nowhere, but I laughed at how easy to understand it was. “Y-Yeah, the owner does seem luxurious like Kinkaku-ji!” I exclaimed excitedly. “Now I want to see Ginkaku-ji again, if it resembles the manager so much.”

“Let’s go, then.” Holmes smiled.

We continued on the Philosopher’s Walk and turned left, taking the north path to Ginkaku-ji. It was a narrow road that could barely fit a car, and it was packed tightly with souvenir shops.

“Wow, this reminds me of Ninenzaka—the street that goes towards Kiyomizu-dera Temple.”

Holmes nodded while pushing my bike. “This one is smaller, but still fun to pass through.”

It was early in the morning, so there weren’t many people around, and many of the stores were still closed. It’d probably get pretty busy here starting around noon. There were also some stylish cafes that I wanted to try visiting sometime.

“Holmes, have you been to that cafe?” I asked, looking towards one of them.

“Huh?” He looked at me with a surprised face.

His reaction confused me. “Did I say something wrong?”

“That was a silly question, Aoi.”

“Wh-What?”

“Sorry, that was too harsh. I actually love cafes. I think I’ve probably been to every cafe in Kyoto,” he said with a confident look.

Now it was me who was surprised. “Wait, really? Do you remember every single cafe in the city?”

“Yes, I keep records of my impressions of all of them.”

“W-Wow.”

“One day, I want to release a book called ‘The Kyoto Cafe Guide.’”

“Oh, that would be amazing!”

“No, I was just kidding.”

“D-Don’t make such believable jokes!” H-How do I put this… Holmes really is weird!

“The book was a joke, but after I finish grad school, I want to turn Kura into an antique cafe. Our store isn’t very welcoming in its current state, right? If it were a cafe, people would be able to come in more easily and see all of the antiques.”

“I see. That sounds like a great idea too. A cafe is something you can visit casually.”

“Thank you. I might need a lot of help when that happens, so I’ll be counting on you.” He smiled gently.

My heart skipped a beat. How many years later will that be? Am I allowed to keep working there until then?

“O-Okay, I’ll do my best.”

“But now that I think about it, that’s still a long way off.” Holmes laughed. My heart wouldn’t stop racing.

We leisurely continued walking. It wasn’t a long road, so we soon arrived at Ginkaku-ji, parked my bike, and stepped onto the temple grounds. By the way, “Ginkaku-ji” is actually a nickname. The temple’s real name is “Higashiyama Jisho-ji”—Higashiyama being “Eastern Mountain” and a style of Japanese culture, and Jisho-ji meaning “Temple of Shining Mercy.”

Next thing I knew, Holmes had paid the entrance fee for us and was handing me a ticket, which also doubled as a good luck charm. “Here you go.”

“Thank you. Um, why is Ginkaku-ji called the ‘Temple of the Silver Pavilion’ even though it’s not made with silver?”

“Ah, well, Ginkaku-ji was founded by Yoshimasa Ashikaga, the eighth shogun of the Muromachi period. When he built this Higashiyama mountain villa, he referenced Kinkaku-ji, which was built by his grandfather, Yoshimitsu Ashikaga. Since this multi-storied building was called ‘Ginkaku,’ the whole temple became known as ‘Ginkaku-ji.’” The ease with which Holmes pulled from his vast knowledge never failed to impress me.

We continued further inside and immediately came upon the black lacquer temple, which was formally known as Kannon-den. I could really feel the austerity of its calm appearance. I didn’t feel anything when I saw it in middle school…or, well, I was actually disappointed back then. But this time, after being told beforehand that it had the austere feeling of oxidized silver, I could certainly tell. It wasn’t flashy, but it was peaceful, gentle, absolutely elegant…and austere.

“I-It really is the manager, Holmes!” I exclaimed, turning back to look at him. The people around us stared at me, and I hurriedly covered my mouth.

“It’s an austere, oxidized silver temple, right?”

“Yes. It has an appeal that you can’t understand until you’re older, I think. I didn’t understand it when I was in middle school.”

“You’ve grown up, then,” Holmes said in a serious tone. My cheeks flushed. There it was—his wicked attack.

“D-Don’t say that. Anyway, you compared the manager to Ginkaku-ji and the owner to Kinkaku-ji, but which temple would you be?”

“Me? I’m not worthy of being one. But I will say that my favorite temple is Kiyomizu-dera. It also has the same ‘Kiyo’ from my name, ‘Kiyotaka.’” Holmes’s eyes lit up as he gazed into the distance, placing his hand on his chest.

Oh, Kiyomizu-dera Temple is nice… Before I knew it, I was squinting into the distance too.

“As much as I like it, I wouldn’t say that I am it. Let’s stop staring into the distance, all right?”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes. It would be presumptuous to call myself Kiyomizu-dera Temple.”

We continued along the path, making idle conversation and laughing. The route going around the temple grounds was longer than expected. D-Do we really have to walk this much? I felt a bit out of breath.

After climbing all of the stone steps, we were looking down at the rows of low rooftops making up the city of Kyoto. There weren’t many tall buildings—this city really was surrounded by mountains.

“W-Wow, what an amazing view.”

“This is Kyoto as seen from the eastern mountain. Impressive, right?”

“Right! I don’t feel tired at all anymore!”

Under the blue sky, the fresh autumn breeze gently caressed my skin. The city of Kyoto had another different aesthetic when overlooked from the east…

“I’m glad I came, Holmes. I love Ginkaku-ji now,” I said, turning around. Holmes looked extremely happy, and the sight caught me off guard. My heart skipped a beat.

“That’s good. I love Ginkaku-ji too. I think it has a bit of a disadvantage because of its nickname.”

“You might be right…”

“So, I’m happy that you came to like it, Aoi.” Holmes smiled. It always seemed like he felt responsible for promoting Kyoto. “Now then, we should get going.”

“Oh, right.” We had a party to get to. “Come to think of it, the owner has been on TV before, right?” I asked as we descended the hill.

Holmes nodded. “Yes, it was quite often until two years ago.”

“Why doesn’t he do it anymore?” When I asked the manager this, it didn’t seem like he wanted to answer.

“Two years ago, he appeared on a program called Heirloom Hunt☆Autumn Special, and there was a bit of a problem. After that, he said that TV was too much hassle.”

“A problem?” I couldn’t help but be anxious.

“Aoi, have you heard of the magician named Don Kageyama?”

“Yes, of course. He’s famous, right?” So famous that anyone would nod to that. He’s called the “Magician King of the Heisei Era,” and he’s an influential figure in the entertainment industry. He’s also known for his harsh tongue and often appears on news programs as a commentator. Despite his arrogant image, he also does a lot of charity work, so he has the aura of a counselor who’s allowed to speak without restraint.

“Don Kageyama brought an heirloom onto the show. It was a blue and white ceramic vase from the Tang dynasty, and it would’ve been worth an incredible sum if it were genuine. It was going to be the centerpiece of the show. However, when my grandfather was checking the antiques before filming began, he determined that it was a fake, sending all of the staff into an uproar.

“The producer asked him, ‘For the sake of the show, can you say that it’s real?’ but naturally, my grandfather wouldn’t budge. They didn’t have a choice but to go on with the filming. When he declared that the vase was a fake, Don Kageyama said, ‘Your eyes are worthless,’ and the audience went wild.

“The entire part with Don Kageyama was cut from the show, and my grandfather was furious at how it was made out to be his fault. He said, ‘I’ll never go on TV again!’ That’s the gist of it.”

“I-I see.” It was a very in-character story for the owner. I was impressed.

“The public doesn’t know about it since it wasn’t broadcast, but it was apparently a big uproar behind the scenes.”

“So that’s what happened.” The world of television really is a tough place. But if he caused an uproar, then maybe there wouldn’t be any celebrities at the party. I felt a bit relieved, but at the same time, I felt sorry for Kaori who was looking forward to it… Oh, but I’m sure Akihito will come, so that might work. He is a handsome actor, after all. Feeling saved by his existence once again, I left Ginkaku-ji with Holmes.