UPDATE JULY 2026

^{Kyoto is one of my favourite cities in Japan. Not simply because of its beauty and great treasures – but because of the people I’ve met there on various visits, the wonderful experiences we’ve enjoyed, and the friends we have made.}

^{Luckily, I have visited it now about half a dozen times since my first visit in 2002, so I’ve already seen many of her more famous sites, now swamped with tourists – some sadly failing to mind their manners in Kyoto, causing a lot of headaches and leading to new restrictions for visitors.}

^{On my first visit, I stayed in a cheap ryokan where the family dog often tended the front reception! Not just lounging about, but sitting upright with his front paws on the front desk, seemingly ready to greet and serve customers. I knew Kyoto was going to be something special!}

^{Two places in Kyoto that I hadn’t seen until recently were the Silver Pavilion Temple – Ginkakuji -and the far end of the Philosopher’s Walk that passes near the Pavilion’s front gate in Kyoto’s Higashiyama area.}

^{We have long ago learnt that, in busy places, get going early ahead of the crowd. It’s worth getting up at the crack of dawn. Firstly, because we don’t enjoy crowded places, and secondly, I like to photograph places without shots being ruined by people bumping me or stepping in front of my camera.}

^{For the Silver Pavilion and the Philosopher’s Walk, we decided to skip the busy buses, and instead caught a taxi early in the morning from our hotel near Kyoto Station. It cost about $20 Australian and we were delivered to a laneway lined with shops and leading up to the Silver Pavilion. A good move, and highly recommended. I love Japanese taxis – always spotlessly clean and so often with their seats covered in pristine white lace! The taxi drivers often wear white gloves too!}

^{The Silver Pavilion is not silver. It originated back in the 1400’s, when the Shogun built his retirement villa, modelling it after his granddad’s retirement villa, Kyoto’s famous Kinkakuji Golden Temple. When the Shogun died, his villa was converted into a Zen temple.}

^{Initially, the Shogun planned to cover the villa with silver foil, but was delayed because of a war raging at the time, and he never ended up following through with the plan. Retirement frustrations! Don’t we all senior folk know them! Perhaps he was satisfied with the moon light that at times reflected on the building’s dark exterior, back then covered in black lacquer, giving it a silvery appearance.}

^{The Shogun loved the arts and gardens, and the exquisite pavilion grounds he developed became a centre for tea ceremonies, theatre, poetry, tea ceremonies and garden design. It’s a compliment to his taste that people today still adore his garden dream.}

^{Beautiful moss gardens, and an amazing dry sand garden.}

^{I am glad I don’t have the job of raking the sand garden! No blow vac either to clear leaves in the moss garden! I spotted a gardener doing it by hand with a small broom!}

^{There are stone steps along the route around the gardens, and my crook knee managed them. For me, it was worth the effort to follow the circular route to view the pavilion from various angles, enjoy a bird’s eye view of Kyoto and explore the extent of the gardens. I think the Shogun must have had a very enjoyable retirement here.}

^{The Silver pavilion was a lot smaller than I expected – plain, but cosy and elegant in its simplicity. The public aren’t allowed inside, but it is enough to view it from the outside. There are other buildings in the grounds. Remarkably, the pavilion is only one of two at the site that have survived fires and earthquakes over the centuries. I liked it more than the more famous Golden Pavilion.}

^{After our visit to the Silver Pavilion, we lingered in the laneway leading down from its front gate to check out a few shops, and sample what I can best describe as a cream puff filled with custard! It was called a Ginkaku. Delicious.}

^{A runner sprinted by us as we ate, wearing traditional Japanese straw sandals. A reminder of the past. If you didn’t have a horse in ancient times, or be wealthy enough to be carried – you ran to cover long distances – and these sandals were the footwear of choice. They are still hand made today in Kyoto, should you be keen to try a pair.}

^{We moved onto the 2 kilometre Philosopher’s Walk – named after a favorite stroll of the philosopher Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945). This was a peaceful walk, with little shops, cafes and off shoots to various other temples and attractions!} 

^{The Philosopher’s walk was very restful. Not too many people, probably thanks to our early start. At one of the shops en route, I bought a little Christmas bauble, hand made by the owner who kindly invited me into her workroom!}

^{Koi fish can be seen in the stream running alongside the Philosopher’s path. I also spotted a bright yellow spider hanging from a web by the steam. He looked dangerously beautiful!}

^{I didn’t walk the entire route because of my knee problems. As we started at the end of the Philosopher’s walk, we will need to return one day to see the beginning.}

^{Earlier this year, my niece and her husband visited Kyoto for the first time and followed my advice to get to the Silver Pavillon and Philosopher’s Path as early as possible. She reported this was successful in avoiding crowds.}