横尾山

Daimonji

Elevation: 466m

Prefecture

Kyoto

Elevation Gain

230m - 360m

Distance

4.5 km

Time

2 hours

Difficulty

1/5

Accommodation

Hotels

Overview

Mt. Daimonji is a popular small hike in Kyoto and undoubtedly offers the best views of the city, it's also a great place to watch the sunset. The trailhead is located next to the beautiful Ginkakuji temple (also called the Silver Pavilion) and the Philosopher's Path. Daimonji is famous for the huge kanji character Dai 大 which is placed on the side of the mountain and set on fire on Aug 16 every year as part of the Obon festival. Most people only hike to the main viewpoint which can be reached in 40 minutes, but I also highly recommend hiking another 15 minutes to the peak, here you'll find amazing views of southern Kyoto and even Osaka.

Access

Bus or Bike - You just need to reach the entrance of Ginkakuji temple, there are a few different busses or you can ride a bike. There is bicycle parking further up the road after turning left at the temple.

If you need to rent a bike, the Pippa bike share app has locations all over the city and only costs 100 yen for 30 minutes, it's usually faster than the bus.

Trailhead: Google Maps

Kyoto Station: The trailhead is about 40 minutes by bus from Kyoto station and will cost ¥230.

Maps

Trail Description

Turn left at the entrance to Ginkakuji temple and follow the road until you reach the trailhead marked on the map. You will continue walking up alongside the river until you reach a small bridge, from here it's a well-marked trail to the viewpoint and will take about 30-40 minutes to reach the top. The main viewpoint is where most people stop to enjoy the view before heading back down, but if you want to reach the peak you can keep hiking for another 20 minutes, although the best views are found at the main viewpoint.