Online Hostel Bookings Hostels and inexpensive ryokan from $10 per night!

Car Rentals Compact cars from around 4,000 Yen/day!

Related Pages

Travel Sightseeing Kansai Region Kyoto Ginkakuji Nanzenji Cherry Blossoms Kyoto Hanami Spots Kyoto: Access and Orientation

Related Questions

Philosopher's Path during winter  4 reactions, last updated 106 days ago Kurama Worth It?  3 reactions, last updated 14 days ago Opening dates White study room...  1 reaction, last updated 20 days ago 3day itinerary for Kyoto  4 reactions, last updated 20 days ago Getting around Kyoto  6 reactions, last updated 21 days ago Tour Kyoto or just walk?  3 reactions, last updated 21 days ago Taxi from Kyoto Station to...  2 reactions, last updated 26 days ago Gingakuji reconstruction  3 reactions, last updated 33 days ago Travelling to Kyoto and back to...  4 reactions, last updated 33 days ago Arashiyama on Sunday 4 Apr  1 reaction, last updated 35 days ago

Japan Sightseeing Guide

Hokkaido Sapporo Otaru Hakodate Furano Abashiri Noboribetsu Niseko Lake Toya Daisetsuzan Shiretoko Rishiri Rebun Akan Tohoku Sendai Matsushima Hiraizumi Akita Kakunodate Nyuto Onsen Aomori Hirosaki Lake Towada Shimokita Hanto Dewa Sanzan Aizu Kanto Tokyo Yokohama Kamakura Nikko Kinugawa Hakone Kawagoe Kusatsu Ikaho Minakami Narita Chubu Nagoya Inuyama Mt.Fuji Fujigoko Izu Peninsula Nagano Matsumoto Kamikochi Kiso Valley Hakuba Yamanouchi Sado Island Takayama Okuhida Shirakawa-go Gujo Gero Onsen Kanazawa Noto Peninsula Kansai Kyoto Osaka Nara Kobe Himeji Kinosaki Mount Koya Kumano Asuka Yoshino Amanohashidate Hikone Iga Ueno Ise Shima Chugoku Hiroshima Miyajima Onomichi Okayama Kurashiki Matsue Iwami Ginzan Iwakuni Yamaguchi Hagi Shikoku Takamatsu Kotohira Naoshima Matsuyama Uchiko Kochi Tokushima Naruto Kyushu Fukuoka Dazaifu Nagasaki Kumamoto Mount Aso Minamata Beppu Miyazaki Takachiho Kagoshima Kirishima Yakushima Okinawa Honto Miyako Yaeyama

Survey

Which is your favorite travel guide book on Japan? Lonely Planet Japan Rough Guides Japan Fodor's Japan Frommer's Japan Gateway to Japan Let's Go Japan Eyewitness Travel Japan Michelin Japan Other see results Other Surveys: How to improve tourism Next trip to Japan Ski Destination Budget for ryokan stay Preferred way to stay at a ryokan Purpose of visit Most popular region Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter

Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

The Philosopher's Path (Tetsugaku no michi) is a pleasant stone path through the northern part of Kyoto's Higashiyama district. The path follows a canal which is lined by hundreds of cherry trees. Usually in early April these trees explode with color, making this one of the city's most popular hanami (cherry blossom viewing) spots. Approximately two kilometers long, the path begins around Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) and ends in the neighborhood of Nanzenji. The path gets its name due to Nishida Kitaro, one of Japan's most famous philosophers, who was said to practice meditation while walking this route on his daily commute to Kyoto University. The Philosopher's Path during cherry blossom season Restaurants, cafes, and boutiques can be found along the path, as well as a number of smaller temples and shrines which are a short walk from the canal. The most notable of the temples is Honen-in, with an entrance gate that is quite spectacular especially during the autumn leaf season. The canal, that the path follows, is part of the Lake Biwa Canal which tunnels 20 kilometers through the mountains to Lake Biwa in nearby Shiga Prefecture. The canal was built during the Meiji Period in order to revitalize the stagnating local economy, and was used to power Japan's first hydroelectric power plant. A beautiful aqueduct, which is part of the canal, can be seen around Nanzenji. The Philosopher's Path in autumn Honen-in Temple

How to get there

The Philosopher's Path runs between Ginkakuji and the neighborhood of Nanzenji, a 5-10 minute walk north of Nanzenji's main temple buildings. How to get to and around Kyoto

News and Reports

Kyoto Autumn Color Report November 26, 2009 Kyoto Autumn Color Report: Light Up November 25, 2009 Kyoto Autumn Color Report: Ohara November 22, 2009 Kyoto Autumn Color Report November 21, 2009 Kyoto Autumn Color Report: Arashiyama November 19, 2009 Kyoto Autumn Color Report: Higashiyama November 18, 2009 Kyoto Autumn Color Report: Kurama November 16, 2009 Kyoto Autumn Color Report November 12, 2009

Travel Community

Popularity of Philosopher's Path: Users who have been to Kyoto: 2237 Users who have been to Philosopher's Path: 473 12th of 46 most visited sights in Kyoto. 47th of 589 most visited sights nationwide. Have you been to Philosopher's Path? No - I have not been there yetYes - no ratingYes - highly recommendedYes - recommendedYes - mildly interestingYes - nothing specialYes - not recommended Ratings for Philosopher's Path: japan-guide.com Rating:   interesting   User Rating (by 294 users): 85/100   recommended User Feedback We strive to keep japan-guide.com up-to-date and accurate, and are always looking for ways to improve the user experience. If you have any updates, suggestions, corrections or opinions, please let us know:

Advertisements

Hotel and Ryokan

Sponsored Listings: Ryokan Saka-no-ue Traditional, cozy ryokan with 12 rooms. Japanese cottage style houses available. Located near Yasaka Shrine and Gion. Gion Hatanaka A real Japanese inn in a quiet area of Gion, famous for Geisha. 15min walk to Kiyomizu-dera. 5min to Yasaka-jinja. Search Hotels: In: Kyoto Fukuoka Hiroshima Hokkaido Kamakura Kanazawa Kansai Airport Kyoto Mount Fuji Nagasaki Nagoya Nara Narita Airport Nikko Niigata Okinawa Osaka Sapporo Sendai Shima Peninsula Takayama Tokyo From: 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 2010 2011 For: 1 night 2 nights 3 nights 4 nights 5 nights 6 nights 7 nights Website: JAPANiCAN Hostel World Japan Hotels Online

Tours and Packages

Kyoto Winter Special 2010 Dine in the company of geisha, uncover hidden cultural artifacts, or stroll through the lights of Arashiyama with these tours. Kyoto Tours Various tours and travel packages for Kyoto and surroundings.