I went to Ginkakuji Temple + Japanese gardens + things to do near Ginkakuji Silver Pavilion in Kyoto 🍵 Japan travel blog

Hi there!

If you like nature, landscapes, and Japanese gardens, there’s a good chance you won’t regret a visit to Ginkakuji Temple!

This is one of the top world heritage sites in Kyoto.

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 (and tea room!)
• 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!

How to spend 5 days in Kyoto

• Day 1: Top tourist spots with one day bus pass
• Day 2: Fushimi Inari Shrine through 1,000 torii gates
• Day 3: Philosopher’s Path walk
• Day 4: Arashiyama and Sagano
• Day 5: Kurama Kibune Ohara with one day pass

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.

More below about what a visit to the Ginkakuji temple and Ginkakuji gardens can be like!

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Now…

A bit of what you can see with a visit to Ginkakuji Temple!

Starting the exploration of the temple grounds

Sand garden

Ginkakuji Temple aka Silver Pavilion

That doesn’t actually look very silver.

More walking around the temple grounds and Japanese gardens

Tea room

Kyoto is known for its matcha green tea, so the Ginkakuji Temple grounds could be a perfect place to drink some!

It could also serve as a nice rest from your walk around the temple grounds.

You’ll come across this Ginkakuji “tea room” or “tea garden” towards the end of your visit.

There’s indoor seating and outdoor seating.

Nearing the end of your temple visit

How much does entry to Ginkakuji Temple cost?!

A ticket for Ginkakuji will be around 500 yen (US$5).

Where to next after Ginkakuji Temple?!

How about the Philospher’s Path!

You can consider this somewhat of a culture walk, and one end of the Philosopher’s Path (aka Tetsugaku no michi) is located right near Ginkakuji.

From there, you can go for a leisurely walk and stop by small shrines and temples along the way.

This can include…

Honen-in Temple

Eikando Temple

Nanzenji Temple

HAPPY GINKAKUJI TEMPLE 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
• Day 4: Arashiyama and Sagano
• Day 5: Kurama Kibune Ohara with one day pass

Traveling around Japan and can't read Japanese? No problem! Just use the camera on the google translate app!

Is a JR pass worth it?!

• Google maps can make it easy to figure out whether or not you should get a JR pass!
• In google maps, type in your departure and arrival city, and choose the transit icon. The route will come up, and so will the estimated cost at the bottom!
• Here is an example of a train route with cost on google maps.
• So do that for all of your long distance routes to figure out how much it might cost.
• Next, go here to see how much a JR pass costs from an official JR pass vendor (and partner of this website).
• And compare!
• Not all forms of public transportation are JR, but long distance shinkansen bullet trains are, and that's where the most cost savings will come.

Best of Kyoto (and Japan!)

• Best temples to visit in Kyoto
• Japanese gardens in Kyoto

👇 Explore the best places to visit in Japan!




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