Ginkaku-ji
Ginkakuji, Kyoto
1 Dec to 29 Feb
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:30
Rest of the year
- Daily
- 8:30 to 17:00
Open every day of the year.
Source: shokoku-ji.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth Muromachi shogun, began building a mountain villa here in 1482, and after his death in 1490 it became the Zen temple Jisho-ji. Two buildings survive from his day, the Kannon-den, which is the Silver Pavilion itself, and the Togu-do hall, and both are National Treasures. In front of the main hall, a stepped bed of white sand patterned like ripples (the Ginshadan) sits beside a flat-topped sand cone, the Kogetsudai.
More photos of Ginkaku-ji
Insider tip
Entry is ¥1,000, or ¥500 for elementary and junior high students, since April 2026. Come right at opening, before the day's crowds arrive. The hillside lookout has steps, so wheelchairs and strollers take a detour. From 1 November to 5 December 2026, guided tours in Japanese take you inside the Togu-do for ¥2,000 on top of entry.
What the guides say about Ginkaku-ji
7. Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher's Path. Ginkaku-ji opens at 8:30 (9:00 from December to February) and has cost ¥1,000 since April 2026. Then walk south on the path, about 1.8 km of stone beside a branch of the Lake Biwa Canal, roughly 30 minutes at an easy pace. Turn off for Honen-in, free from 6:00, where you walk in between two mounds of white sand.
11. Go early, because ticket desks close early. Temple and shrine ticket desks often close around 16:00, so don't leave the big ones for late afternoon. Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6:00, and from March to November Ryoan-ji opens at 8:00 and Ginkaku-ji at 8:30 (half an hour later in winter), while Fushimi Inari Taisha, Yasaka Shrine and Kyoto Gyoen never close. The early morning list has more.
Ginkakuji, for Ginkaku-ji at its 8:30 opening (9:00 from December to February). Ryokan Yoshida-Sanso, in a villa built for Prince Higashi-Fushimi, serves kaiseki, but Kyoto Station's about 43 minutes away.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Ginkaku-ji
Upcoming events at Ginkaku-ji and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Ginkaku-ji Autumn Special Opening of the Togudo
銀閣寺 秋の特別公開 国宝 東求堂
Time Guided visits at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30 (about 30 minutes) Station Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 5, 7), 10 min walk
Ginkaku-ji opens its main hall and the National Treasure Togudo, whose four-and-a-half-mat study, Dojinsai, is where tea, flower and incense culture took shape, on guided visits of about 20 people, in Japanese only. Sign the sheet in front of the main hall about an hour before your slot. It's ¥2,000 on top of regular admission.
Reginald Pentinio, CC BY 2.0 Ginkaku-ji Spring Special Viewing of the Togudo
銀閣寺 春の特別拝観 国宝東求堂
Time Tours at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30 Station Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 5, 7, 203)
A guided 30-minute visit inside the main hall and the Togudo, whose four-and-a-half-mat study, Dojinsai, is seen as the starting point of tea, flower arranging and incense. Groups are capped and you can't take photos.
Reginald Pentinio, CC BY 2.0 Honen-in Small Bonsai Exhibition (Hiroki-ten)
第21回「広樹展」小品盆栽 in 法然院
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station City Bus 5 to Jodoji, about 10 min walk; or City Bus 32 to Minamida-cho, 5 min walk
A two-day show of small bonsai in the Hojo hall, free to view.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Honen-in Faust (Gekko Parade touring theatre)
ゲッコーパレード出張公演 家を渉る劇vol.7『法然院ファウスト』
Time 18:00 (doors 17:30) Station City bus stops Minamida-cho or Jodoji, 5 to 10 min walk
Five performances of a staged Goethe Faust inside the Honen-in temple, about 75 minutes each. No show on 7 November.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Honen-in Erhu Concert vol.7 by Kusuda Nahoko
楠田名保子 法然院・二胡コンサートvol.7『祈韻包心』
Time 18:00 (doors 17:30), ends about 19:30 Station Jodoji bus stop (City Bus 5), about 10 min walk, or Minamida-cho (City Bus 32), 5 min walk
Erhu concert in the main hall with a capacity of 80, first come first served.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Nearby
Around Ginkakuji
Temple gardens along a canal path, under the Daimonji hill
Get to Ginkaku-ji for its 8:30 opening, because the temple fills up as the day goes on. Then walk south on the Philosopher's Path, about 1.8 km of stone path beside a branch of the Lake Biwa Canal, and turn off it for the temples on either side. Honen-in's grounds open at 6:00, and you don't pay to go in.
Ginkakuji has 15 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 7 shrines and temples, 2 museums, 2 restaurants, 1 viewpoint, 1 shop, 1 neighbourhood and 1 bathhouse. Read the Ginkakuji guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Ginkaku-ji?
- 2 Ginkakuji-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都府京都市左京区銀閣寺町2).
- What are the opening hours of Ginkaku-ji?
- 1 Dec to 29 Feb: Daily 9:00 to 16:30. Rest of the year: Daily 8:30 to 17:00. Open every day of the year.
- How do I get to Ginkaku-ji?
- The nearest station is Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 5, 7, 32, 102, 203, 204). Ginkaku-ji is in Ginkakuji, Kyoto.
- How much does Ginkaku-ji cost?
- Ginkaku-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Ginkaku-ji?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Ginkaku-ji?
- Right at opening.
Stay near Ginkaku-ji
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