What it is
A narrow stone path following a canal for about two kilometres along the foot of the eastern hills, from Ginkaku-ji at the northern end down towards Nanzen-ji.
⭐ It is named for Nishida Kitarō, the philosopher of the Kyoto School, who is said to have walked it daily in thought. The canal is a branch of the same Lake Biwa Canal whose aqueduct crosses Nanzen-ji.
What it is like
Cherry trees lean over the water for most of its length, so it has two completely different characters: extraordinary and extremely crowded for the week or so they are out, and a quiet residential walk for the rest of the year.
⭐ The second of those is the better visit. Out of blossom you get the hills, the water, small temples on the uphill side, and hardly anyone.
Doing it properly
Walk it downhill, north to south: start at Ginkaku-ji, finish at Nanzen-ji, and you have arranged the day so it ends at the aqueduct rather than starting there.
Allow far longer than two kilometres suggests. The point is the temples that open off it, not the distance.
