Walk Well
Escape the heat.
Find stillness.
Walking as practice
Kyoto summers are hot — but this is also the quietest season, when the temples return to themselves. Not a guided tour, but a relaxed and attentive gathering for curious travellers.
Walking in silence
We walk quietly in the garden. Each person carries a small card and writes three questions — about Zen, about life, about this moment. No conversation. Only walking.
Conversation in a café
We move to a nearby café. Over a cold drink, the researcher draws questions from the cards at random and shares Zen stories, koans and reflections.
Roji
"Kinhin beneath the trees, in the open ground." Roji means an open, unsheltered place — and in the Lotus Sutra, the ground of release beyond the burning house.
The setting may change; the practice does not.
- Cost
- Free to join (temple entrance ¥500 by donation, and your own drink)
- When
- Every Friday 13:30–15:30 · 15 July — 25 September
- Where
- Komyo-in (may vary: Kinchi-in, Oubai-in, Taizo-in)
- Guide
- Dr. Belinda Lee · PhD, Mindfulness & Buddhist Philosophy
- For
- Curious travellers, solo wanderers, makers
Research & media
This gathering forms part of an academic action research project on mindfulness. Audio recording and photography are optional and opted into separately, with full privacy control and the right to withdraw.
Independently organised; not affiliated with any temple administration.
Sessions
Held from time to time. Two hours each — silent walking, then conversation. Places are limited.
August – September 2026
Free to join; temple admission paid individually. Sign-up via Google Forms — a confirmation email follows.