Kyoto & Shiga · Kyoto, northern Higashiyama

Ginkaku-ji, the Philosopher's Path and Nanzen-ji: northern Higashiyama on foot

Kyoto's quietest day, and all of it on foot: the Silver Pavilion that is not silver, a canal with cherry trees, a hidden moss temple, a brick aqueduct inside a Zen temple, and an old railway incline that became a path.

Kyoto's quiet day, and all of it on foot. You start at the Silver Pavilion of Ginkaku-ji as it opens, climb to the moss temple Honen-in near the northern end of the Philosopher's Path, walk south along the path by the canal, and reach Eikan-do and Nanzen-ji, with a brick aqueduct running through it. In the afternoon you walk along the abandoned boat railway of Keage and finish at the giant gate of Heian Shrine, in the Okazaki district. About 6 km on foot, mostly flat. A day pass does not pay off: one bus in the morning and one subway ride in the evening.

Verified online, October 20269 stops · 08:30 to 20:00¥8,200 · ≈ $52 per personWalking between stops: 58 minShabbat-friendly (partly)Cherry blossoms in early AprilAutumn foliage in late NovemberShabbat-friendly

The day on a map

9 stops, in order

Stops: 9
Walking minutes: 58

Stop number on the timelineWalkingBase map: © OpenStreetMap

Open this day in Google Maps

The same stops with the same numbers, and the way from stop to stop. On a phone it opens in the app, and that is what you navigate with in Japan. Pin names on the map are in Hebrew.

On Shabbat: The Philosopher's Path, Honen-in, the Nanzen-ji grounds and the aqueduct, the Keage Incline and Heian Shrine from outside: all free, in one continuous walk of 3 km. Ginkaku-ji and Eikan-do charge admission, so skip them. It works if you sleep in the Okazaki area or in the center (a 40-minute walk).

Getting there: From Kyoto Station: city bus 5 or 7 to the Ginkakuji-michi stop, ¥230. On a weekday morning the ride takes 36 to 41 minutes (the 07:50 bus 7 arrives at 08:26), and from the stop it is about 9 minutes on foot to the gate. If you are staying in Shijo-Kawaramachi, board the same lines at the Shijo-Kawaramachi stop, 22 to 25 minutes. The day ends in Okazaki, about 10 minutes on foot from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Line, so the way back is easy.

08:3009:30
Stop 1Temple and gardenMust
Ginkaku-ji: the Silver Pavilion and the sea of sand
You start at the Silver Pavilion, which never had any silver: a survey during the restoration that began in 2007 found only black lacquer, and the name first appears in 1658. A raked sand garden with a 'Mount Fuji' cone, a moss path that climbs the hill, and a view over Kyoto. The temple opens at 08:30, and at that hour it is quiet. Since April 2026 admission has doubled to ¥1,000, and children pay ¥500.
¥1,000 · ≈ $6Open in Maps About this place
On to Honen-in
- Walk · 12 minWalk down the temple's approach street west to the bridge over the canal, Ginkakuji-bashi, about 250 meters, and turn south on the path. After about 400 meters turn east and climb a short lane through the woods to the thatched gate. About 900 meters.
09:4510:15
Stop 2TempleRecommended
Honen-in: the thatched gate and the sand mounds
A few steps from the path, a small temple in the woods, with a thatched gate and two white sand mounds whose patterns change. Free, almost empty, and especially beautiful in autumn foliage. The inner hall opens only in April and November.
FreeOpen in Maps About this place
Back to the path
- Walk · 3 minWalk down the lane west to the canal, and continue south on the path.
10:2011:05
Stop 3WalkMust
The Philosopher's Path: 2 km along the canal
A stone path along a canal, named after the philosopher Nishida Kitaro, who walked it every morning. 500 cherry trees, at their peak in early April, cats, cafes and artists' studios. Free. Walk south, slowly.
FreeOpen in Maps
On to Eikan-do
- Walk · 7 minThe path ends near Nyakuoji Shrine, and from there it is a few more minutes south along the street to the gate of Eikan-do. About 500 meters.
On the way you can stop at:
Kanou Shojuan tea house: The tea house of a long-established wagashi maker, at the southern end of the path. Matcha with the sweet of the season, ¥1,650. 10:00 to 17:00, closed on Mondays and Thursdays, and closed completely from July to October and from mid-December to the end of February.
11:1512:15
Stop 4TempleRecommended
Eikan-do: the Buddha looking back
A temple with a Buddha statue whose head is turned backwards, the Mikaeri Amida, a pagoda on the hill and connected wooden corridors. ¥1,000 most of the year (since April 2026). In autumn foliage season, November to early December, ¥1,500 by day and ¥1,000 for the night illumination, and then there is a queue to match.
¥1,000 · ≈ $6Open in Maps About this place
Walk to lunch
- Walk · 3 minAbout 200 meters north of Eikan-do, to Hinode Udon. Junsei is in the other direction, at the entrance to Nanzen-ji.
12:3013:30
Stop 5LunchRecommended
Lunch break near Nanzen-ji
You eat between Eikan-do and Nanzen-ji, without leaving the route. If you insist on Omen's udon, go back north to Ginkaku-ji, and the way there and back is about 40 minutes on foot:
- Hinode Udon¥1,000 to ¥2,000
  A family restaurant in an old house, 40 seats, that specializes in udon in a thick curry sauce. No reservations and cash only. 11:00 to 15:30, closed on Sundays and on the first and third Monday of the month.
- Junsei, yudofu at the entrance to Nanzen-ji¥3,850 for the basic meal
  Yudofu, tofu simmering in a pot, in a large garden at the temple entrance, 2 minutes from the gate. 11:00 to 15:30, closing days vary, usually Wednesday.
- Omen, the original restaurant¥1,500 to ¥2,200
  Back north, near Ginkaku-ji. Omen's first restaurant, from 1967: thick udon, a dashi broth for dipping, and a plate of seasonal vegetables and sesame. There is also a version with a vegetarian (shojin) broth, ¥1,620. There is a queue at lunchtime. Monday to Wednesday 10:30 to 17:00, Friday to Sunday 10:30 to 16:00 and 17:00 to 20:30, closed on Thursdays.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥1,800 · ≈ $11Open in Maps
Down to Nanzen-ji
- Walk · 7 minFrom Hinode Udon about 600 meters south, to the gate of Nanzen-ji. Junsei is right next to the gate.
13:4514:55
Stop 6Zen templeMust
Nanzen-ji: the Sanmon gate and the brick aqueduct
The Zen temple with the huge gate, the Sanmon, and a Roman-style aqueduct of red brick, from 1890, that runs through the grounds. A photo you do not expect at a Zen temple. The grounds and the aqueduct are free. The Hojo garden with the 'tigers crossing the river' and the climb up the gate: ¥600 each. Behind the aqueduct a path climbs to a small temple with a waterfall.
¥600 · ≈ $4Open in Maps About this place
Down to the cafe
- Walk · 6 minLeave by the main gate and walk west, about 500 meters.
15:0015:45
Stop 7BreakIf there is time
Blue Bottle Nanzen-ji: coffee in a 100-year-old machiya house
The day's break, if you have time. The first Kyoto branch of the coffee chain from Oakland, in a traditional wooden house with a courtyard. There is a queue on weekends. A Japanese alternative: a tea house in the Nanzen-ji grounds, with matcha facing the garden.
¥800 · ≈ $5Open in Maps
On to the Keage Incline
- Walk · 5 minContinue about 350 meters to the Keage Incline, and walk along the tracks.
15:4516:30
Stop 8WalkRecommended
The Keage Incline: the abandoned railway of the canal boats
An old railway of about 600 meters that carried boats up from Lake Biwa, and today it is a path between 90 cherry trees. In April it is full of photographers, and the rest of the year it is quiet. Free. From here you go down to Keage subway station, or continue to Okazaki.
FreeOpen in Maps
On to Heian Shrine
- Walk · 15 minWalk down along the incline to its bottom, by the canal, and walk north through Okazaki's museum district to the red gate. About 1.3 km.
On the way you can stop at:
Tsutaya and Starbucks at ROHM Theatre: A large bookstore with a Starbucks on the ground floor of ROHM Theatre Kyoto, opposite the shrine. Starbucks 08:00 to 22:00, every day.
16:4520:00
Stop 9Shrine and eveningRecommended
Heian Shrine, the giant gate, and an evening in Okazaki
You finish at a red torii gate 24 meters tall and a huge courtyard that recreates the imperial palace of 794. The courtyard is free and closes at 18:00 from March to September, at 17:30 in October and at 17:00 from November to February. The garden is ¥600. In winter, when the courtyard closes at 17:00, skip the cafe near Nanzen-ji and get here by 16:15. In the Okazaki district around it there are museums and izakaya. From here you head back, or ride to dinner in Pontocho: Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Line is about 10 minutes on foot, and from there it is 2 stations to Kyoto-Shiyakusho-mae, 4 minutes, ¥220, plus about 6 minutes on foot to Pontocho. To Kyoto Station it is 13 minutes, changing at Karasuma-Oike, ¥260.
¥3,000 · ≈ $19Open in Maps About this place

Ginkaku-ji, the Philosopher's Path and Nanzen-ji: northern Higashiyama on foot

9 stops, in order

Ginkaku-ji: the Silver Pavilion and the sea of sand

Honen-in: the thatched gate and the sand mounds

The Philosopher's Path: 2 km along the canal

Eikan-do: the Buddha looking back

Lunch break near Nanzen-ji

Nanzen-ji: the Sanmon gate and the brick aqueduct

Blue Bottle Nanzen-ji: coffee in a 100-year-old machiya house

The Keage Incline: the abandoned railway of the canal boats

Heian Shrine, the giant gate, and an evening in Okazaki

Kurama and Kibune: a walk on the tengu's mountain, the water shrine, and a meal above the stream

Kids' day in Kyoto: the Railway Museum, the Aquarium, To-ji and Kyoto Tower

Walking Kyoto's eastern hills: from Ginkaku-ji to Gion via the Philosopher's Path

Fushimi Inari: the torii gates at sunrise, Tofuku-ji and the sake district

Higashiyama: Kiyomizu-dera in the morning, the Sannenzaka lanes, and Gion in the evening

Arashiyama: the bamboo grove at sunrise, Tenryu-ji, monkeys and the Romantic Train