A two-kilometre canal path under cherry trees, from the Silver Pavilion's raked sand to the great gate and red-brick aqueduct of Nanzen-ji.
Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion, was never covered in silver. Its fame is the garden: a flat-topped cone of raked white sand, a sea of sand ridges beside it and a moss garden climbing the hill behind.
From its gate, the Philosopher's Path follows a narrow canal south for about two kilometres. It's named for the philosopher Nishida Kitarō, who walked it daily, and it's lined with cherry trees that turn it into a tunnel of blossom in early April.
Along the way, small temples sit just off the path, among them Hōnen-in, with its moss-thatched gate and sand mounds.
The path ends near Nanzen-ji, a great Zen temple with a towering wooden gate and, in its grounds, the brick aqueduct built in the 1890s to carry water from Lake Biwa into the city.
Start early to beat the tour groups.
See the sand garden and climb through the moss garden for the view.
Turn south along the canal under the cherry trees.
Detour a few steps uphill to the quiet temple and its thatched gate.
Climb the great gate for the view, then find the brick aqueduct.
Finish at the old canal incline and Keage station.
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City buses run to Ginkakuji-michi; the walk ends near Keage station on the Tozai subway line.
Ginkaku-ji, the Nanzen-ji gate and its sub-temples charge small entry fees; the path is free.
Climb Daimonji-yama from Ginkaku-ji first if you want a view to start.
Kyoto practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under their licences.
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