Japan

Mount Daimonji Hike in Kyoto

Edward Kopka

19 Dec 2025 • 7 min read

For the second half of my second day of my second visit to Kyoto, I wanted to climb up Mount Daimonji. I read about this hike online before returning to Kyoto and many websites recommended it. The mountain is located on the east side of the city, the side I was already on, where I had been exploring all the historical districts. To get to the trail head, I needed to walk along the Philosopher's Path (or the Philosophical Path as translated by Google).

The Philosopher's Path

The Philosopher's Path follows a canal that is situated at the foot of Mount Daimonji, right at the edge of the city. I had heard about this path from my brother, I believe a colleague of his recommended it to him, a quieter part of Tokyo compared to the main tourist destinations. There are many temples along the path and I believe that historically people would walk from one temple to the next, pondering philosophy.

I walked from the end of the canal up to where the trail diverges for the mountain hike, a distance of about 1.5 kilometers. The walk was as beautiful as it could be in winter, many of the trees were bare, but I must imagine it would look spectacular in the spring, summer, or autumn. Even so, I still enjoyed walking along this path and took many photos, often focusing on the path itself with the adjacent canal and trees.

Early on I walked past a man feeding this cat.

The paved path next to the canal, there were often stone benches along the way.

The canal had many bridges, here I stood on one and looked to another.

There was often a paved path next to the canal with a wider path running parallel a meter or so to the left.

A long stretch of the path where I walked alone with my thoughts.

Sometimes the paved path ended for a section and joined the wider road.

I loved spotting the odd tree that still bloomed, even in winter.

The empty branches reflected in the still water of the canal.

Looking back, towards the end of my journey, at a tree covered in red flowers.

Mount Daimonji

I started hiking up the mountain at around 3:00 pm in the afternoon. The mountain was not as tall as Mount Atago neither was the trail as long, so I felt confident I had enough time to reach the summit and return. About half way up I arrived at a wide open area of the slope where I had spectacular views of Kyoto. I continued up to the summit, resting there for a bit before making a new plan. My original plan was to return the same way, but at the summit I found a different route that would take me past a waterfall. I went this way but I became a little lost when I realised I went down the wrong path. I found the right path by taking a narrow trail through the forest that wasn't on any of the maps. I saw the waterfalls, they were fairly small, probably because it was winter time. Then I exited the forest just as twilight was setting in.

The first part of the trail going up the mountain was wide and well maintained. There was a wall to my left and a dry creek bed to my right.

The trail then narrowed and became steeper with some logs for steps.

Then I arrived at the steepest section yet, it was just a continuous staircase up the mountain. At least here the path was well made.

About half way up the mountain I came to this open area with incredible views of Kyoto. This spot had the best views, even better than what I would later see from the top of the mountain. The conditions were nearly perfect. I could see the city fully spread out before me, and I spent a good fifteen minutes or so taking photos.

There was this structure at the centre of the open area. I'm not sure what it is, but it made a good foreground subject for my photo.

A panorama of Kyoto. The view I had from the slope of Mount Daimonji.

A close up photo of the centre of Kyoto. I could just make out the Kyoto tower that is right next to the main Kyoto train station.

This one section of the city was lit up by a gap in the clouds.

The afternoon sunlight looked wonderful streaming through these clouds in brilliant rays of light descending upon the city.

I continued hiking up the mountain trail to reach the summit.

The summit of Mount Daimonji. There were some log benches and little tables here where one could rest and enjoy the view.

Much of the view towards the city was blocked by trees. This was one of the few angles I could look out that wasn't obscured in some way.

I continued hiking in the nature reserve, intending to descend the mountain by a different path.

I found a narrow trail through the forest, I used it as a short-cut to get to the waterfall.

I walked past this section of pine trees that were so incredibly tall and straight, they were densely packed together, and from certain angles seemed to extend forever into the distance.

The Romon Falls. They were split into multiple rocky sections and I had a steep descent to get here. This section was the biggest and most visible portion of the falls.

I took this photo looking back up the trail I had just descended. The sun was setting by this point of the hike and the forest was starting to get dark.

I crossed the Philosopher's Path again and then found a place nearby to eat some dinner before taking a bus back to the hotel.

Walking the Philosopher's Path and hiking up Mount Daimonji was the perfect way to spend my last afternoon in Kyoto. The view I had from the mountain were some of the best views I experienced during my stay. I found it so interesting how the urban fabric of the city seemed to fill the flat valley areas, and all around it was surrounded by the mountains. From Daimonji I could see it so clearly. Beyond just the view, I enjoyed walking through the forested nature reserve. Even getting lost a little on the return journey was fun. I always love the moments when I can be out in nature by myself with just my thoughts to keep me company.

Thanks for reading – Edward

Written 5th of June 2025

The Philosopher's Path

Mount Daimonji

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