Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) Garden
This season's opening
Autumn special viewing: main hall, Togu-do and Roseitei
- Hours
- Guided visits of about 30 minutes at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30, about 20 people each, first come first served on the day. The sign-up sheet goes out in front of the main hall about an hour before each visit
- Admission
- ¥2,000 special fee (with a Togu-do paper-cut souvenir), on top of the regular admission (from April 2026: ¥1,000 adults, ¥500 children)
- Booking
- No bookingNo advance booking; write your name on the sheet in front of the main hall on the day. Groups of seven or more are not accepted
Inside the main hall (Hojo), the National Treasure Togu-do and the Roseitei, which you normally see only from outside: the main hall's Shakyamuni and its sliding-door paintings by Yosa Buson and Ike no Taiga (reproductions); in the Togu-do the Amida image, an image of Ashikaga Yoshimasa in monk's robes and Dojinsai, the oldest surviving four-and-a-half-mat study; in the Roseitei an incense-appreciation room and sliding doors painted by Okuda Genso. The temple singles out the view of Mt. Tsukimachi from the Hojo
No photos, recording, notes or sketching during the visit. For the 10:00 visit, be at the main hall around 9:00 when the sheet goes out. The gate opens at 9:00 in December
About the garden
The raked sand sea and the cone called Kogetsudai. The usual story is that they reflect moonlight into the pavilion, but no one really knows. A good garden for making up your own theory together.
Where to stand
Follow the path up the hill behind the pavilion. From above, the sand garden reads as an extension of the pond, which is hard to see at ground level.
Practical notes
Go early, then walk the Philosopher's Path south to Honen-in (free, often empty) and Nanzen-ji. Fully accessible viewpoints are limited; the hill path has steps.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- 2 min walk🍽 FoodYotsugi Chaya (noodles and sweets)
A noodle and sweets tea house on the approach to Ginkaku-ji. If there is a gap between signing up and your guided visit, you can wait over something warm just outside the gate.
Order：A bowl of hot udon, or a Japanese sweet
11:30–17:00 (from 10:30 on public holidays)Closed: Irregular. Order and pay first; cash onlyUnder ¥1,000Details ↗ - 8 min walk☕ CafeBambi (kissaten)
A neighbourhood coffee shop near the Ginkakuji-michi crossing that opens at 7:00. The Togu-do visits are first come, first served on the day, so have breakfast here and then head for the sign-up sheet.
Order：The breakfast set
- 9 min walk☕ CafePomme (apple café)
An apple-themed café on the Philosopher's Path, with drinks and cakes built around apples and a few terrace seats. It sits right where you want a break walking south from Ginkaku-ji toward Honen-in and Anraku-ji.
Order：Apple and soy-milk drink, apple-cinnamon cake