The Philosopher's Path is a two-kilometre canal-side walk through northern Higashiyama that's named after Nishida Kitarō, Japan's most important modern philosopher, who used to walk this route daily while meditating on his way to Kyoto University. It's the kind of place that makes you want to think deep thoughts, or at the very least walk slowly and notice things.
The path follows a small canal lined with hundreds of cherry trees that were planted in the 1920s by a painter's wife — Hashimoto Kansetsu's spouse donated the seedlings, and they've grown into a tunnel of blossoms that in late March and early April is arguably the most beautiful urban walk in Japan. In autumn, the maples turn the path into a corridor of red and gold. Even in summer and winter, the canal, the stone bridges, and the small temples tucked into the hillside make it atmospheric.
The path connects Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion) at the north end to the Nanzen-ji area at the south, and the walk takes about 30 minutes without stops. But stopping is the point — there are tiny cafés in converted machiya houses, ceramic shops, a cat-themed shrine called Otoyo-jinja, and a handful of sub-temples that see almost no visitors. The quietest section is the southern half below Hōnen-in, a thatched-gate temple where raked sand gardens are shaped into different patterns every few days.
Verified Facts
The path is named after philosopher Nishida Kitarō who walked it daily
The cherry trees were planted in the 1920s
The path runs approximately two kilometres
The path connects Ginkaku-ji in the north to the Nanzen-ji area in the south
Get walking directions
Philosopher's Path, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
