Jisho-ji / Ginkaku-ji Temple

Officially the «Temple of Shining Mercy» and popularly known as the «The Temple of the Silver Pavillon», this was built when the 8^th Muromachi shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa decided to retire at the age of 29 to pursue his deep interest in the arts. His retirement villa was created in the Higayashima style (named after the shogun) — the design is much more simple than its ornate «cousin» the Kinkaku-​ji created by his grandfather. Though supposed to be coated in silver during construction, the Onin War broke out and as a result the construction was halted. As a result the temple currently looks the same way it did before the shogun’s death. Afterwards per the shogun’s wishes it was converted into a Buddhist temple, now currently occupied by the Rinzai sect.
Unlike Kinkaku-​ji where most of the shops are located after the main temple the shopping area is located as you ascend the path going up to the main entrance on both sides. There’s plenty of eating and shopping options. Supposedly one of the «cool» activities is to eat matcha soft serve.
Between the main gate and the middle gate (where you’ll pay your entrance fee and obtain ticket) you’ll find the fence/​main approach containing 50 meters of wall-​like hedges on both sides. Supposedly this approach serves the purpose of separating the peaceful sanctuary from the outside world and creating a dramatic prelude to the realm of beauty within.
After paying the entrance fee of 500円, you are led to the beginning of the temple grounds where Ginshadan and Kogetsudai will greet you. Supposedly representing waves and Mount Fuji, respectively, they are made of a fine white sand higher in quality than regular sand. Supposedly at night they reflect the moonlight.
Out of the twelve originally constructed structures only the main hall «Kannon-​den» (aka Ginkaku) and Togu-​do survive. These structures are two of Japan’s «national treasures».
— Kannon-​den is modeled after the Shariden of Kinkaku-​ji and contains two floors. The first floor «Shinkuden» was modeled in the traditional Japanese style and where the shogun practiced meditation. The upper story, «Cho-​onkaku» is modeled in the Chinese style containing a Chinese sliding door. The bronze phoenix (also modeled after Kinkaku-ji’s golden phoenix) constantly guards the temple dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of mercy.
— The other complex, Togu-​do, symbolized the shogun’s affinity for the True Pure Land Buddhism sect (he believed in both Pure Land and Zen). The formal study room in this area became a prototype for future tearooms (because Higayashima era was when tea ceremony started becoming popular) and the size of the tearoom (4.5 tatami mats) became the gold standard ratio for tea rooms.
— As the shogun partook in tea ceremony the water arising from the wells here are of very good quality, they are still known as being of superior quality in contemporary tea ceremony culture.
Though I didn’t partake in tea here supposedly they sell tea and all different kinds of wagashi. There’s a dedicated area that you can take your purchased goods to eat.
The beginning of the ascent to the main gate of Ginkaku-​ji marks the northern terminus of the Philosopher’s Path (
), another common tourist activity.
Along with Kinkaku-​ji, Ryoan-ji’s rock garden and Kiyomizu-​dera (which I didn’t visit), Ginkaku-​ji is one of the top four must-​see Buddhist temples in Kyoto. It is one of the defining examples of «Higayashima culture», an era which developed many of the activities now commonly associated with Japanese culture such as tea ceremony and ikebana.

It was drizzly the day we ventured here, but we had a great time. One of my favorite temples because it’s set up against the mountains and it’s very peaceful. We took a cab here and it dropped us off at the base of the hill.
The cherry blossoms were in bloom at the Philosopher’s Path, though muted by the rain. As others said, there are a number of shops from the main street up to the pavilion, with everything from ice cream to potatoes on a stick to really cute doll crafts.

El Pabellón de Plata, con sus jardines cuidadísimos, me gusta casi más que su compañero, el Pabellón de Oro, justo en el extremo contrario de la ciudad. Esto se debe a que prefiero la madera al metal reluciente y a que en el segundo hay tanta gente que, cuando estoy ahí, no veo el momento de irme a otro lugar. En el Ginkaku-​ji, sin embargo, se respira cierta tranquilidad a pesar de la habitual masa de turistas que hay en todos los monumentos de Kioto.
Lo que más me llamó la atención fue su jardín, barrido con esmero por varios empleados. Ví a un hombre recoger musgo con una espátula y me quedé un rato clavada en el suelo, víctima de la estupefacción al ver alguien cepillar el musgo. Lo delicado de la vegetación en estos lugares no es de este planeta. Aunque, si ya es difícil encontrar un papel en el suelo en todo Kioto, uno puede hacerse una idea del esmero que le ponen a este tipo de edificios, símbolo de la cultura antigua de Japón.
El pabellón en sí me resulta discreto y antiguo, en madera con encalado blanco. La visita se completa con una sala de estudios también con tatami y un original jardín seco que contrasta con el mencionado jardín de diseño chino, de elementos simples, pero meticulosamente dispuestos de forma no lineal, por lo que el ojo se entretiene en cada rincón y disfruta de perspectivas muy distintas dependiendo de dónde se sitúe.
Cuenta con una pequeña tienda a la salida donde comprar incienso, recuerdos de la ciudad y demás caprichos turísticos.

Last year in the winter, I visited Ginkakuji with my brother and father, and I was pleased with the garden area and tranquil grounds. In November I made my return to Ginkakuji, this time for koyo/​autumn colors, and I was taken aback with how incredibly beautiful it was.
The third weekend of November, I arrived around 11am after walking about 15 mins from Denmachi-​Yanagi Keihan Line, before the crowds got too crazy, and made it inside without too long of a wait. After stepping inside, the fall colors really made a difference. The grounds were a vibrant green, red, and orange, and the «silver» pavilion was very picturesque amid the fall foliage. The best spot was after going up the stairs in the back of the grounds to view the Ginkakuji building poking out from a cloud of red leaves with the Kyoto cityscape in the background.
A must-​see in Kyoto for Autumn colors, Ginkakuji is an excellent option to go to along with Nanzen-​ji and Eikan-​do, about 2−3km away.

The 8^th Shogun of Ashikaga government, Yoshimasa Ashikaga built this calm rigid temple as a retirement villa for himself. It is called Ginkakuji. Gin means silver in English, but the temple is not coated with pieces of silver leaves unlike its counterpart, the golden pavilion of Kinkaku (Kin means gold in English). Its building looks like an old Japanese residence. I would like to see inside of the building but not allowed. It is not open to public.
Other view point is its sophisticated garden. Wave-​shaved sand and conic-​shaped sand stand. Ancient people were said to have watched the beautiful moon, sitting on the sand stand. It sounds romantic! It is closed at around five, so I can’t watch the beautiful moon in this temple.
There is also a hill and pond landscape garden. A series of Higashiyama mountains also become a borrowed landscape. I prefer Ginkakuji temple to Kinkakuji temple, because of its dry simplicity, solidness and purity. It is now designated world heritage.

Beautiful. 500 yen per person, has a guided path along the grounds. A little out of the way, but plenty of the city buses stop nearby. The path leading to the temple is full of shops for souvenirs and snacks. You can take Philosopher’s Path from Ginkakuji towards other shrines and temples, like Nanzenji.