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Stephane D'Alu / CC BY-SA 3.0
Ginkaku-ji
銀閣寺Kyoto · Kansai
Built from 1482 as Ashikaga Yoshimasa's retirement villa and later converted into the Zen temple Jisho-ji, it epitomizes Muromachi-era Higashiyama culture. Despite the Silver Pavilion nickname, silver foil was never applied — its weathered wood, moss garden, and sand-cone garden exemplify wabi-sabi. Part of the UNESCO Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Best timed for autumn (November) for maple foliage.
- Best season
- Autumn
- Crowd level
- Popular
- Rating
- 4.5· 17,529 reviews
- Opening hours
- Daily 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Admission
- Adult admission (high school+), raised from 500 to 1000 yen on 2026-04-01 per official shokoku-ji.jp.
- Nearest station
- Bus stop Ginkakuji-michi, 10-min walk; or north end of Philosopher's Path
- Website
- shokoku-ji.jp/ginkakuji
Usual hours — confirm with the official site for holidays + seasonal closures.
Today
8:30–17:00Stored weekly hours
Daily 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Tags
zen-templegardenunescohigashiyamasilver-pavilionhistory
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