Kodai-ji
Gion, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 17:30
Last entry 17:00. Autumn night viewing 23 Oct to 13 Dec 2026, open until 22:00 (last entry 21:30).
Source: kodaiji.com, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's widow, Kita-no-Mandokoro (Nene), founded Kodai-ji in 1606 to pray for him. Both are enshrined in the Otamaya, whose altar and shrine are decorated with the gold lacquer work known as Kodai-ji maki-e. The paid garden takes in a pond garden credited to Kobori Enshu and a bamboo grove, and Minder, an android Kannon, recites the Heart Sutra in its own hall.
More photos of Kodai-ji
Insider tip
Entry is ¥800, or ¥1,200 with Entoku-in. You'll need to be in by 17:00. From 23 October to 13 December 2026 the garden is lit from 17:00 and stays open until 22:00 on the same ticket, but you can't come back in once you leave. Access is partly restricted on 12 and 13 November.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Kodai-ji
Upcoming events at Kodai-ji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kodai-ji Museum: Hideyoshi's Daizuigu Bosatsu on Show
高台寺掌美術館 秀吉天下一統の念持仏 大随求菩薩公開
Time 9:00 to 17:10 (reception to 17:00), to 21:10 during the 23 Oct to 13 Dec night viewing Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus), 7 min walk
The museum shows the Daizuigu Bosatsu, the personal Buddhist image of Hideyoshi, together with Nene's thousand-Jizo and other treasures from Kodai-ji and related temples.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Kobori Enshu School Autumn Tea Gathering at Entoku-in
茶道小堀遠州流 秋の特別茶席
Time 10:30, 11:30, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00 Station City bus stop Higashiyama-Yasui, 7 min walk
Samurai-style tea of the Kobori Enshu school in a small tea room beside the north garden, in 45-minute sessions. Temple admission is separate and the gathering needs a booking.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 New Year's Eve Bell at Kodai-ji
高台寺 除夜の鐘
Time 22:00 to 02:00 Station Higashiyama-Yasui bus stop, 7 min walk
Kodai-ji hands out 108 numbered tickets, one per group, from about 22:00 for the New Year's Eve bell. The grounds are lit and open for a first visit from 22:00 to 02:00.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Yobanashi evening tea gathering at Kodai-ji
夜咄（よばなし）の茶会（高台寺）
Winter evening tea gathering on Friday to Sunday evenings with tea ceremony, guided visit and a meal included. Not held on 6 and 7 February.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Spring Night Viewing at Kodai-ji
春の夜間特別拝観（高台寺）
Time 17:00 to 21:30 (gates close 22:00) Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206), 7 min walk
Hideyoshi's widow Nene's temple lights its garden for spring evenings: the Garyu pond and the bamboo grove past the Kasa-tei and Shigure-tei tea houses are the ones to see. You follow the same route as by day.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Autumn Exhibition: Sakamoto Ryoma and the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance Exhibition
On now, until 23 Nov · Ryozan Museum of History, Higashiyama
An exhibition at the Ryozan Museum of History on Sakamoto Ryoma and the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, shown in two periods and closed Mondays except holidays.
¥1,000, students ¥600, children ¥300 · 10:00 to 17:30 · Map · Source: Ryozan Museum of History · 2026年 秋の企画展「坂本龍馬と薩長同盟」
Nearby
Around Gion
The teahouse streets below Yasaka Shrine, best early or at dusk
Gion grew up as the town at the gate of Yasaka Shrine, and it's still where Kyoto's geiko and maiko live and work. Gion Kobu, the largest of the city's five geiko districts, keeps its teahouses along Hanamikoji-dori, and the Shirakawa canal runs through Gion Shinbashi to the north. Go early for the shrine and the temples behind it. Come back at dusk for the streets.
Gion has 25 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 6 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 4 neighbourhoods, 3 cafes, 2 landmarks, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 museum, 1 park or garden and 1 bathhouse. Read the Gion guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kodai-ji?
- 526 Kodaiji Shimokawara-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区高台寺下河原町526番地).
- What are the opening hours of Kodai-ji?
- Daily 9:00 to 17:30. Last entry 17:00. Autumn night viewing 23 Oct to 13 Dec 2026, open until 22:00 (last entry 21:30).
- How do I get to Kodai-ji?
- The nearest station is Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206, 207). Kodai-ji is in Gion, Kyoto.
- How much does Kodai-ji cost?
- Kodai-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kodai-ji?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Kodai-ji?
- Autumn, after dark.
Stay near Kodai-ji
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