A Kyoto day from Fushimi's gates to Pontocho's lanterns

Start at five-thirty while the gates are empty and the mountain is cool. The full climb to the summit is two hours return, but even halfway gives you what you came for. Pack water, wear shoes that grip; the cedar forest up top is quiet and the torii get sparser as you climb.

Breakfast in the 400-year-old 'Kyoto kitchen' — four hundred metres of covered stalls selling fresh tofu, pickled vegetables, grilled sweet potatoes, tako tamago (candied baby octopus on a skewer). Graze your way east to west and skip breakfast at the hotel.

The Silver Pavilion isn't actually silver, but the gravel garden raked into the shape of Mt. Fuji is what you came for. Walk the moss garden and the short hill trail at the back — the view out over the eastern Kyoto rooflines is worth the climb.

A two-kilometre stone path following a cherry-tree-lined canal from Ginkaku-ji south to Nanzen-ji. Named for the 20th-century philosopher Kitarō Nishida who walked it every day. In spring it's pink, in autumn it's gold, and both are reasons to come.

A century-old udon specialist just off the top of the Philosopher's Path. House udon comes with a plate of toppings and a sesame-miso dipping sauce — you assemble your own bowl. The cold noodle set in summer is what the regulars order.

Behind the vermillion torii is a Japanese garden in four seasons — weeping cherries, irises, lotuses, maples. Walk clockwise around the central pond; it's a designed circuit, not a wander, and the vista opens up at each turn.

The wooden temple on stilts above the eastern slope. Arrive in late afternoon for the golden light on the main stage. The approach streets, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, are tourist-heavy but the temple itself remains humbling.

A narrow stone lane between the river and Kawaramachi, strung with wooden machiya townhouses housing tea rooms, kaiseki counters, and yakitori bars. Pick a place with a riverside platform overlooking the Kamogawa. Book ahead — most doors won't open without a reservation.