Hi there!
The Daimonji-yama hike is a local favorite.
You may also hear this being called the Mount Daimonji hike, or something similar.
This hike will offer you stunning views of the city of Kyoto from above, so it can be well worth the hike!
You are making a trip UP to see the views, and it really is going uphill for most (all?) of the trail to the views.
This also means that the way back is all downhill!
It’s a thing to bring snacks or a meal on this hike and then eat at the top with views of Kyoto. So before you leave for this hike, stop by a convenience store to stock up on some food and drinks!
If you’re only in Kyoto for a short time, it can be most convenient to do this hike alongside the Philosophers Path walk and/or a visit to the Ginkakuji Temple with a walk around Japanese gardens in Kyoto.
The Ginkakuji Temple is near the start of one end of the Philosopher’s Path, and the start of the Daimonji-yama hike is right near Ginkakuji.
Or, you make it a casual day with just the Daimonji-yama hiking trail on the schedule for the day!
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Now…
Where is the start of the Daimonji-yama hike?
Get off at the bus stop near Ginkakuji Temple
Being located right near Ginkakuji means that you’ll want to get on a bus that goes to Ginkakuji.
Depending on your timings and which bus you take, the bus route you end up on the bus stop might be a 5 minute walk from Ginkakuji or a 15-20 minute walk from Ginkakuji.
But the closest bus stop to Ginkakuji is a 5 minute walk or so. Google Maps can be a reliable way to figure out which bus to take.
Start walking towards Ginkakuji Temple!
So once you get off the bus, you can head in the direction of Daimonji-yama! That’s the direction that you see the mountain down the street.
If you get off at the bus stop closest to Ginkakuji, then it’s a short 5 minute or so walk up the street.
Oh, and right before you start walking on the part with all the shops lined up on the street, there’s a public bathroom. There isn’t another one near the start of the trail (unless you pay for the Ginkakuji admission), so it could be a good idea to go to the bathroom one last time!
You’ll also pass the start of the famous Philosopher’s Path aka Tetsugaki no michi.
If you are up to it after your hike, you can take this path and there are some small temples along the way. At the other end of the path, there’s also a big famous temple, Nanzenji Temple.
So just past the start of the philosopher’s path are a bunch of shops, and you’ll take this basically all the way to the “dead end.”
In this case, the dead end is where you go to get to the Ginkakuji Temple.
Arrive at the Ginkakuji entry
So at the dead end, there’s a little matcha shop. Matcha green tea is said to have anti-oxidants, so after the hike, a snack or drink from here can be a perfect post-hike recovery item! 😉
And then…
You go down the street to the left to get to the start of the Daimonji-yama hiking trail
This is a short little street that you’ll turn left to follow. If you forget, you can ask the matcha shop which way to go for Daimonji-yama and they will tell you.
Then you follow this street which will then turn right.
Then there will be a slight fork in the road. The left road is a big hill NOT where you want to go. To the RIGHT is the path you want to take that will take you to the parking lot of the Daimonji-yama hiking trail.
Japanese language tip: “Daimonji entrance”
Save this image to your phone!
And then you have arrived at the start of the Daimonji-yama hiking trail!
HAPPY HIKING DAIMONJI-YAMA FROM NEAR GINKAKUJI!
