Temple

Choken-ji

Fushimi, Kyoto

Address
511 Higashiyanagi-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 京都市伏見区東柳町511

Source: ja.kyoto.travel, checked 11 Oct 2026.

The Ryugu-style gate and red earthen wall of Choken-ji in Fushimi, with its stone name pillar on the left
Photo: Tagao0707 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choken-ji, known locally as the Benten of Shima, is the only temple in Kyoto whose main image is Benzaiten. It was founded in 1699, when the Fushimi magistrate developed the Chushojima district, and you'll spot it by its red walls and Ryugu-style gate.

Nearest station Chushojima (Keihan)
Cost Free
Time needed 15 min
Best time Cherry blossom season
Cherry blossoms

Insider tip

The Benten festival is on the fourth Sunday of July. The grounds are a cherry blossom spot, and water from the Akasui spring here is offered to Benzaiten.

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What's on near Choken-ji

Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Choken-ji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.

Festival On now ¥1,900 adults, ¥900 elementary

Kyoto Fushimi Jikkokubune canal boat cruise

京都伏見十石舟運航

22 Oct to 6 Dec Boarding point behind Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, Fushimi

Time 10:00-16:20 departures

50-minute round trip on a replica Edo-period rice boat along the Fushimi canal to the Misu lock gate, with a stop at the lock museum. Runs until 6 December; closed Mondays outside holidays.

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The old wooden brewery buildings of the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum in Fushimi, Kyoto 663highland, CC BY 2.5
Food event Starts in 3 days ¥1,000 (cashless only)

Gekkeikan Sakagura Light Up

月夜の酒蔵ライトアップ2026

26 Oct Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, Fushimi

Time 17:30 to 19:30, last entry 19:00; timed slots 17:30, 17:45, 18:00, 18:15, 18:30 Station Chushojima or Fushimi-Momoyama (Keihan Line)

The museum opens in the evening for a guided look round, a tasting of three sakes with snacks and a small take-home cup. Booking is required, 100 places, and the guide speaks Japanese only.

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The old wooden brewery buildings of the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum in Fushimi, Kyoto 663highland, CC BY 2.5
Food event Starts tomorrow Free

Fushimi Sake Kairo Brewery Open Day

伏見酒回廊2026

24 Oct Sake breweries across Fushimi, Fushimi

Time From 10:00 (closing times vary by brewery) Station Chushojima, Fushimi-Momoyama or Tambabashi (Keihan)

Thirteen Fushimi brewers open up at 11 sites on the same day, with tastings, sales, limited sakes, food and a stamp rally as you walk between them. Entry is free, each brewery keeps its own hours, and you should come by train if you're drinking.

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Illumination Starts in 14 days

Fushimi Port Projection Mapping at Misu Lock Gate

伏見港プロジェクションマッピング

6 to 7 Nov Misu Lock Gate, Fushimi Minato Hiroba, Fushimi

Time 17:30 to 20:30 Station Chushojima (Keihan Line), 5 min walk

Light artworks made by Kyoto Subaru high school students with Fushimi ward office and Naked Inc. are projected onto the Misu lock gate, an industrial heritage structure of Fushimi port.

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Market

Fushimi Nato Festa 2026

ふしみなーとフェスタ2026

7 Nov Fushimi Nato (Fushimi Port Park), Fushimi

Time 10:00 to 20:00; markets 10:00 to 17:00; candle lights 17:00 to 20:00 Station Chushojima (Keihan Line), 5 min walk

A day of markets and stages at Fushimi's riverside port area, with the Fushimi Goshi-ichi market of local goods and kitchen cars, a bread and sweets market, school band and kids dance stages, and candle lighting in the evening.

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Smaller local events nearby

  • Fushimi sake brewery tour guided by brewers (Jan to Feb) Food

    Tuesdays and Fridays on listed dates, 13:30 to 15:00. Next: Tue 19 Jan · Fushimi Meishu Kyodo Kumiai and three breweries

    Guided visit inside three Fushimi breweries (Yamamoto Honke, Toyosawa Honten, Heiwa Shuzo) with brewing video, storage and koji room, and new sake tasting. Meet 13:20 at the association.

    ¥3,500 (age 20 and over, booking required) · 13:30 to 15:00 (meet 13:20) · Map · Source: Fushimi Meishu Kyodo Kumiai · 蔵人の案内による伏見酒蔵特別見学ツアー

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Nearby

Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum Museum · 1 min walk Gekkeikan, founded in Fushimi in 1637, runs this museum in one of its sake storehouses, built in 1909. Fushimi Sake District Neighbourhood · 2 min walk Fushimi's name was once written with the character for water, thanks to its groundwater, and about 20 breweries still make sake here. Shinchi-yu Sento · 2 min walk Shinchi-yu opened in 1931 near Chushojima Station, and its old building still catches the eye from the street. Fushimi Yume Hyakushu Cafe · 2 min walk Fushimi Yume Hyakushu is a cafe and souvenir shop in Gekkeikan's old head office, a 1919 building with Western details. Teradaya Landmark · 3 min walk Teradaya was an inn for passengers on Fushimi's river boats. Tsuki no Kurabito Food · 3 min walk Tsuki no Kurabito serves Japanese food with Gekkeikan sake in a building Gekkeikan put up in 1913, once its rice-polishing mill, and you eat under...

Around Fushimi

Torii tunnels at dawn, then sake by the old castle moat

Fushimi is two trips in one. In the north, about 10,000 torii line the paths up Mount Inari behind Fushimi Inari Taisha, and the grounds never close, so you can walk them at dawn. Five stops south on the Keihan line, about 20 breweries still make sake in the old river port, and you can taste most of them in one alley.

Fushimi has 21 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 8 shrines and temples, 4 restaurants, 2 shops, 2 landmarks, 1 bar, 1 neighbourhood, 1 cafe, 1 museum and 1 bathhouse. Read the Fushimi guide.

Good to know

What is the address of Choken-ji?
511 Higashiyanagi-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市伏見区東柳町511).
How do I get to Choken-ji?
The nearest station is Chushojima (Keihan). Choken-ji is in Fushimi, Kyoto.
How much does Choken-ji cost?
Nothing. Choken-ji is free to visit.
How long do you need at Choken-ji?
Plan for 15 min.
When is the best time to visit Choken-ji?
Cherry blossom season.

Stay near Choken-ji

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