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Home - Travel - Sightseeing Guide - Kansai - Kyoto - Eastern Kyoto
Philosopher's Path	# 12   of 56 most visited sights in Kyoto
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The Philosopher's Path (哲学の道, 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. 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. Honen-in Temple Any Questions? Ask them in our question forum.

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

Hotels and Ryokan

Sponsor Hotels Ryokan Saka-no-ue Traditional, cozy ryokan with 12 rooms. Japanese cottage style houses available. Located near Yasaka Shrine and Gion. Gion Shinmonso A fine ryokan in the Gion near geisha streets. Easy access to Kiyomizu-dera and Yasaka-jinja. Special offers available. Gion Hatanaka A real Japanese inn in a quiet area of Gion, famous for Geisha. 15min walk to Kiyomizu-dera. 5min to Yasaka-jinja.

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News and Reports

December 2, 2011 Kyoto Autumn Color Report by schauwecker November 30, 2011 Kyoto Autumn Color Report by schauwecker November 29, 2011 Kyoto Autumn Color Report by scott November 28, 2011 Kyoto Autumn Color Report by scott November 27, 2011 Kyoto Autumn Color Report by schauwecker November 24, 2011 Yoshiminedera and Southwest Kyoto by Rabbityama November 22, 2011 Kyoto Autumn Color Report by schauwecker November 20, 2011 Kyoto Autumn Color Report by schauwecker More reports...

Travel Community

Ratings for Philosopher's Path: japan-guide.com Rating:   outstanding   User Rating (by 535 users): 85/100   recommended Popularity of Philosopher's Path: Users who have been to Kyoto: 4514 Users who have been to Philosopher's Path: 908 12th of 56 most visited sights in Kyoto. 49th of 726 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 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:

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Kyoto Tours Various tours and travel packages for Kyoto and surroundings.