Philosopher’s Path, Ginkaku-ji and Nanzen-ji
From Ginkaku-ji along the canal to Nanzen-ji and Eikando, then on to Heian Jingu and the museums at Okazaki, this is one continuous walk. Below: what is on now, what each place is and what to know, and how to get there.
Autumn leaves season
Darker = more of the places here are in their usual peak window (Kyoto City Tourism Association). This is a usual-year guide, not this year’s colour.
- 31 Oct–29 Nov, Sat and holidaysCity Bus 5 diverted around Eikando; free transfer to the subway at Higashiyama-Sanjo ↗
- 1–30 NovNanzen-in special opening (limited-period reopening after long closure) ↗
- 11/2–11/29Heian Jingu WONDER NIGHT（17:30–21:30）
- 11/16–11/29Nanzen-ji Hatto special opening (except the 26th) ↗
- 11/16–12/15Traffic control for large buses near Nanzen-ji ↗
- 11/18–12/7Shinnyo-dō grounds fee（¥500 grounds + ¥500 main hall）
Coming up
‘Dreams Entrusted to Jewelry’ — Related Lecture (Jewelry: Whose Dreams? Exhibition)
The exhibition's own curator on postwar Japanese contemporary jewelry
MoMAK Films 2026: Stories That Begin with Accessories
Program A 'Ornamental Hairpin': how Shimizu turns a lost hairpin into a wartime woman's turning point, starring Kinuyo Tanaka
Kyo-To Project 2026: Foyer Concert
World premiere: Kayoko Maeda's 'Suki' for voice and harp, alongside Tosti's 'Sogno' and Japanese art songs 'Hatsukoi' and 'Tsuki no hikari wa'
Heian Jingu Hatsumode (First Shrine Visit of the Year)
New Year visiting at Heian Jingu over the first three days of the year…
Heian Jingu Setsubun Festival
Heian Jingu's Setsubun festival on February 3…
Running now
Shichi-Go-San Special Prayers at Heian Jingu
Heian Jingu runs a "Shichi-Go-San special prayer" season through October and November…
The Triangle: Soji Matsunobu
Everyday materials — wallpaper, rubber bands, graffiti — examined for their processes, functions and relationships
Yamaga Seika
The key visual: 'Constellation, Moon, Rocket' (1958), over 3 metres tall
Collection Room, Autumn Feature: “Museum Story: The First Cry of the Municipal Art Museum”
Photographs of the Tairei Memorial Kyoto Museum at its 1933 completion and other founding documents
Zen and Ghibli
Exhibition space built around 'The Boy and the Heron' (Miyazaki's 2023 film, Ghibli's biggest overseas audience ever)
Jewelry: Whose Dreams?
Some 350 works: the Hiko Mizuno Jewelry College collection shown at large scale, masterpieces from Germany after ~50 years, contemporary artists
Before you go
- 11/16–12/15
- Temporary traffic control near Nanzen-ji: daily 9:00–17:00, large buses may not turn at the junction of the Nanzen-ji approach and Shirakawa-dori (Kyoto Prefectural Police; times may change). ↗
- 10/31–11/29
- Around Eikando: City Bus 5 (including the Gojo-dori variant) is diverted on Saturdays and holidays from about 15:00 to 19:59, with temporary stops 200–300 m from the usual ones (Kyoto City Transportation Bureau). ↗
- 10/31–11/29
- Saturdays and holidays 15:45–19:20: passengers on City Buses 5, 105 and 206 towards Kyoto Station can transfer free to the Tozai subway line at Higashiyama-Sanjo (Higashiyama Station). ↗
- 11/11–12/06
- Eikando during the treasure exhibition: the Garyu-ro corridor is closed and the Senbutsu-do shut; no advance tickets for the exhibition or illumination. ↗