Hi there!
A visit to the Fushimi Inari taisha shrine can be a nice way to start your day.
Then after you’ve finished up walking the trail to the Mt Inari summit and see potentially 5,000 torii gates, one option is to head towards the area of Ginkakuji!
To start your day at the Ginkakuji temple, also see how to get to Ginkakuji by bus from Kyoto Station.
So whether you go here first or later in the day, there might be a few reasons you’ll want to make a trip out to near the entry of the Ginkakuji Temple!
1. Visit to Ginkakuji Temple grounds (obvi)
2. Matcha green tea at Ginkakuji
3. Start the Philosopher’s Path walk
4. Daimonji-yama hike
Fushimi Inari Shrine as part of a one day Kyoto itinerary
I made this journey from Fushimi Inari shrine to Ginkakuji temple as part of somewhat of a hiking day:
- Kyoto station to Fushimi inari
- Walked up to the summit of the Fushimi Inari shrine trail
- Train and bus from Fushimi Inari shrine to near Ginkakuji Temple (no temple visit this time – but that was part of the philosopher’s path walk)
- Daimonji-yama hike for city views
The start of the Daimonji-yama hiking trail is located right near the Ginkakuji entry, so I passed by it on my way to the hiking trail.
How to get to Ginkakuji temple from Fushimi Inari shrine
First, the quick list:
- Walk from Fushimi Inari shrine to Fushimi Inari train station (5-10 minutes)
- Train from Fushimi Inari station to Demachiyanagi station (20 minutes)
- Walk from Demachiyanagi station to nearby bus station (1-2 minutes)
- Bus to near Ginkakuji (10 minutes)
- Walk the rest of the way to Ginkakuji Temple (10 minutes)
OR…
Once you get to Demachiyanagi station, you can walk directly to Ginkakuji Temple. That will be about a 30-40 minute walk, and it will save you around 200 yen (US$2) on the Kyoto bus fare.
Sound complicated?!
Google maps makes things feel a lot more simple! 😉
All you need to do is follow the directions it gives you!
It might differ slightly from the way I got there based on your timing.
More below on how to get to Ginkakuji from Fushimi Inari Taisha!
🗾
Okay, so now…
Here’s a bit of what the journey from Fushimi Inari shrine to Ginkakuji Temple might be like!
Walk from Fushimi Inari shrine to Fushimi Inari train station
Time: 5-10 minutes
There are 2 train stations near Fushimi Inari.
From Kyoto station to Fushimi Inari I took the JR train.
To get to Ginkakuji, I went to the other train station, the Fushimi Inari train station on the Keihan railway.
To walk straight from the grounds of the shrine to the Keihan train station would be about a 5-10 minute walk.
But this would also be a good area to wander around and maybe find some food and snacks after a couple hours on the Fushimi Inari shrine trail.
Among other things, you can find takoyaki (octopus balls) around here on the street if you’re looking to try some Japanese food.
So it might take you a bit longer to get to the train station!
Fushimi Inari train station (Keihan railway)
Train from Fushimi Inari station to Demachiyanagi station
Time: 20 minutes
Demachiyanagi station
This station is underground.
When you come up, you’ll be right by the Kamogawa River!
This could also be a nice place to rest up a bit, whether it be before or after your Ginkakuji temple visit.
There’s a convenience store nearby, so you could buy some snacks (or even a meal) and then take it for a picnic down by the river.
Walk from Demachiyanagi station to nearby bus station
Time: 1-2 minutes
OR…
Instead of waiting for the bus, you can walk straight to Ginkakuji.
This will be a 30-40 minute walk.
Bus to near Ginkakuji
Time: 10 minutes
Walk the rest of the way to Ginkakuji Temple
Time: 10 minutes
If you take the bus, it’ll drop you about a 10-15 minute walk from the entry point of Ginkakuji.
HAPPY FUSHIMI INARI TO GINKAKUJI JOURNEY!
