Kyoto E · HigashiyamaNo.126★★Open in map →
Ginkaku-ji
— the Silver Pavilion and the Philosopher's Path
A 15th-century Zen temple in Kyoto's Higashiyama hills — famous for its raked-sand garden and a wooden pavilion that was never actually covered in silver — and the canal-side walking lane that runs south from its gate.
Ginkaku-ji, formally Jisho-ji, is a wooden pavilion set above a moss garden and a dry landscape of raked white sand. Its most photographed features are the Ginshadan, a broad expanse of raked sand often called the Sea of Silver Sand, and the Kogetsudai, a tall cone of sand shaped for viewing the moon. From near the temple gate, the Philosopher's Path follows the canal roughly two kilometres south toward Nanzen-ji, lined for much of its length with cherry trees. Together they make one of the classic walks of Higashiyama.
Background & history
Ginkaku-ji began in 1482 as a retirement villa for Ashikaga Yoshimasa, eighth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, and became a hub of the refined Higashiyama culture of that era. After Yoshimasa died in 1490, the villa was converted into a Rinzai Zen temple affiliated with Shokoku-ji. The pavilion, the Kannon-den, survives from the original estate and is a National Treasure. In 1994 the temple was inscribed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto."
What to look for — in walking order
- Ginshadan and Kogetsudai
- the raked "Sea of Silver Sand" and a tall cone of sand shaped for viewing the moon
- Moss garden and pond
- a strolling garden of moss, ponds and bridges, with a hillside viewpoint
- The Silver Pavilion (Kannon-den)
- a two-storey National Treasure of the Muromachi period — never actually covered in silver
- Philosopher's Path
- a canal-side lane of about two kilometres lined with cherry trees, running south to Nanzen-ji
How to enjoy it
Arrive close to the 8:30 opening (9:00 in winter) to see the sand gardens in the quiet before the day's visitors arrive. Then walk out and follow the Philosopher's Path south along the canal. The cherry trees peak in early April, but the shaded, water-side lane is a pleasant walk in any season.
How to actually get there
- Kyoto Station → Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (city bus 5 or 17, ~35-45 min).
- Or, faster: Kyoto Station → Imadegawa (Karasuma subway line, ~9 min), then bus 203 → Ginkakuji-michi.
- Ginkakuji-michi stop → temple gate (walk uphill, ~10 min).
- Temple → Nanzen-ji along the Philosopher's Path, then subway home from Keage.
- Kyoto Stn → Ginkakuji-michi (city bus, or subway + bus)
- Simplest: from Kyoto Station take city bus 5 or 17 straight to the Ginkakuji-michi stop (about 35-45 min). Faster option: take the Karasuma subway line from Kyoto Station to Imadegawa (about 9 min), then a bus (route 203) to Ginkakuji-michi. Either way, from the Ginkakuji-michi stop it is about a 10-minute walk uphill to the temple gate. Total about 40-50 min.
- Return via the Philosopher's Path
- From the temple, walk the full Philosopher's Path south to Nanzen-ji, then take the subway from Keage Station back into the city. Or take city bus 5 or 17 back to Kyoto Station from the same Ginkakuji-michi stop. Buses run through the day but slow in the evening, so check the return time at the stop when you arrive.
Before you go
- Cash
- Kyoto city buses accept IC cards (such as ICOCA or Suica) and cash; the flat fare is 230 yen. Temple admission is 1,000 yen for adults (high school age and up); carry cash for the gate to be safe.
- Closing days
- Crowds peak between about 10:00 and 14:00, heaviest on weekends and in cherry-blossom season. The garden is still beautiful then, but shared with many people.
- Another way
- On rainy days the moss garden looks deeper and the queues are shorter; bring an umbrella and go anyway.
- After you get off
- From the Ginkakuji-michi bus stop, walk north and uphill about 10 minutes along the paved approach lane to reach the temple gate.