So if you want to drink matcha green tea when you’re in Japan, you can do so with a visit to the Ginkakuji Temple!
You’ll want to consider a trip to Ginkakuji Temple when you’re in Kyoto anyway, as this is a UNESCO world heritage site in Kyoto. It’s also right near the famous Philosopher’s Path.
So, if you’re looking to try out some tea that Kyoto is known for (that’s matcha tea), then you can conveniently drink some matcha at Ginkakuji!
For more convenient tea experiences, try the Nijo Castle teahouse if you’ll be visiting Nijo Castle, or the Okochi Sanso teahouse if you’ll be visiting the Arashiyama bamboo forest! You can get matcha green tea at both places.
Japanese language tip: TEMPLE
The ji in Ginkakuji means temple.
But you wouldn’t use ji on its own to talk about a temple in general. In this case, ji is used when attached to the name of the temple.
When speaking generally of a temple, you would call it tera or otera.
Ginkakuji Temple as part of a one day Kyoto itinerary
You can make a visit to the Ginkakuji Temple when you walk the Philosopher’s Path that includes temple visits as side trips:
- Ginkakuji Temple
- Eikando Temple
- Nanzenji Temple
You can start your day off by going from Kyoto station to Ginkakuji.
I also was in the area when I did the Daimonji-yama hike (the start of the trail is located right near Ginkakuji), and on that day I basically went from Fushimi Inari to Ginkakuji.
The Fushimi Inari shrine is another place in Kyoto that’s worth a visit with the thousands of torii gates that you can walk through!
Now…
On the Ginkakuji Temple grounds
Walking towards the tea room
So after you’ve entered the Ginkakuji Temple grounds…
You’ll see the sand garden…
…and see the temple itself…
…and see some more Japanese gardens…
…and walk on the nature trail…
…and see the city views…
…and then walk back down the trail…
And then you’ll start to come close to the “tea room”!
This will be near the exit, and you probably won’t be able to miss it.
This is located in the same area as the souvenir shop.
So you’ve made it to the Ginkakuji tea room!
Now you can order your matcha green tea!
There’s indoor seating and there’s outdoor seating.
With the outdoor seating, you’ll be right next to some bamboo trees!
The Okochi Sanso teahouse is another place you can drink matcha green tea with views of bamboo trees! The teahouse is located in Arashiyama so you can pair it with a visit to the famous Kyoto bamboo forest.
So once you’ve ordered your matcha, it’ll take a few minutes for it to be prepared.
Then when it comes out, you can enjoy your tea!
How much does the matcha cost?
This tea experience costs 500 yen (US$5).
Then once you’ve finished up your tea…
Off you go to exit the Ginkakuji temple grounds!
Maybe to start the Philosopher’s Path?
HAPPY GINKAKUJI TEA ROOM VISIT!
Use this Kyoto tourist map to plan out your 5 days in Kyoto with Ginkakuji Temple!
- Day 1: Top tourist spots with one day bus pass
- Day 2: Fushimi Inari Shrine hike through 1,000 torii gates
- Day 3: Philosopher’s Path (with Ginkakuji!)
- Day 4: Arashiyama and Sagano
- Day 5: Kurama Kibune Ohara with one day pass