Ginkakuji, Nanzenji & Philosopher's Path

Our fascinating Northern Higashiyama guided walk introduces guests to the rich heritage and unique culture of Eastern Kyoto while taking in some of the city’s most peaceful temples and gardens. 

We start the day by making our way to Nanzenji to climb its impressive 17th century Sanmon wooden gate and enjoy the views, which change with the seasons, over its many sub-temples. From there we begin our exploration of the Philosopher’s Path, named after a famous local philosopher who used to walk along the picturesque canal on his way to Kyoto University while practising meditation over a century ago. En route we discover pottery shops, wood carving artisans, some unique Kyoto-style cafes and Honen-in, one of the finest temples in the area nestled in the nearby hills. 

We then head to stunning Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavilion), originally built as a retirement villa and place of rest for the Shogun in the 15th century but never completely finished. The building represents a quintessential aspect of ‘wabi-sabi’ and the surrounding Zen temple gardens are amongst the prettiest in Kyoto. The nearby shops also serve up some of Kyoto’s tastiest snack food such as yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls) – a must try!

The tour ends with a visit to Shinnyodo pagoda, a beautiful three-storied wooden structure first constructed in the 10th century which is rarely crowded, before heading back to the central city.

This can be easily expanded into a full-day Higashiyama walking tour or combined with one of our other half-day guided walks and include visits to Arashiyama, Kinkakuji or Fushimi Inari shrine.