Ginkaku-Ji!

Hello there! (^-^)/

I love to travel to areas I haven’t been to yet. Recently, I was finally able to visit Ginkakuji. 

A friend of mine attends Kyoto University and gave me a walking tour of the Philosopher's Walk, then offered to give a tour of the surrounding areas as well. They hadn't been there in about 20 years, so according to them, it was fun to remember (and not remember so much) fun facts about the temple. 

If you go to Kyoto, people usually recommend the Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion) as a staple tourist attraction. But not many tourists even know about the Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion). This is mostly due to the fact that it's not actually silver.

So why the name? According to my ‘local guide’, they said that the pavilion looks silver because the moonlight reflects off the pond and onto it at night. (Of course, it's closed at night, but fun to imagine! (^ ^))

Fee: 

There's a ¥500 entrance fee for adults

How to get there:

If you're coming from the Kyoto station, you can take a city bus (¥230) to get there (bus #17 will take you until Ginkakuji-michi, then you can walk about 11 minutes to get there).

It's about a 20-25 minute walk from Demachiyanagi station If you're not a fan of walking, please take a bus! 

The weather is not too hot yet, and there are lots of cafés around the Philosopher's Walk, so enjoy!