Nison-in
Arashiyama, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:30
Source: nisonin.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Nison-in is named for its two main images, a Shaka who sends souls off and an Amida who welcomes them, a gilded pair carved in the mid-Kamakura period. Past the gate, the Momiji no Baba approach runs about 100 m between alternating maples and cherries. The temple dates to the 830s or 840s and sits at the foot of Mount Ogura.
Insider tip
Entry is ¥600, free for primary school children and younger. The rare Nison-in Fugenzo cherry by the main hall flowers from mid-April into Golden Week, and the temple calls it one of the latest-blooming cherries in Japan. Its Gyoentei tea room opens only in Golden Week and the autumn leaf season.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Nison-in
Upcoming events at Nison-in and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Early-morning autumn viewing at Nison-in
二尊院 秋の早朝特別拝観
Time 8:00 to 9:00 on 22, 23 and 29 November Station City bus stop Saga-Shakado-mae, about 10 min walk
Private entry from 08:00 to 09:00 before regular opening, limited to 50 people, among the maple avenue of Nison-in. Entry fee included, booking through Peatix.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Main Hall and Shoin Interiors Open at Jojakko-ji
常寂光寺 本堂・書院堂内特別拝観
Station Bus Saga Shogakko-mae, 10 min walk
The interiors of the main hall and the shoin hall open to visitors during the autumn-leaf season.
Kzaral, CC BY 2.0 Hina doll exhibition at the Sagano Doll House Museum
博物館さがの人形の家 節句人形展（Ⅰ）お雛さま展
Edo-period court and townsfolk hina dolls and rarer modern ones, with the permanent Saga, Kamo, Gosho and karakuri doll displays at the Sagano Doll House Museum.
Saga Dainenbutsu Kyogen Autumn Performance
嵯峨大念佛狂言 秋季定期公演
Time 13:30 to 16:30 (former members' show from 11:30) Station Saga-Shakado-mae bus stop (City Bus 28, 91), 2 min walk
Masked players act out plays without a word on Seiryo-ji's kyogen stage, one of Kyoto's three great nembutsu kyogen and an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. This autumn it's Hashi Benkei, Shibari Bozu and Tsuchigumo from 13:30, after a show of Momijigari by former members at 11:30, and it's free and goes ahead in rain.
Mti, CC BY-SA 3.0 Arashiyama Tsukitouro Bamboo Light-up
嵐山月灯路
Time 18:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:40) Station Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line), 10 min walk
The bamboo grove path is lit every evening, with a 30-metre bamboo corridor hung with 1,500 woven bamboo balls and mist drifting through the grove. In 2026 it was ¥1,500 cash at the ticket booth in the grove or ¥2,000 online, and free for 12 and under.
dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
New Year's Eve bell ringing at Jojakko-ji Festival
Thu 31 Dec (dates to be confirmed) · Jojakko-ji, Arashiyama
The temple lists a public bell-ringing on New Year's Eve in its annual events.
Map · Source: Jojakko-ji · 大晦日 除夜鐘打公開（常寂光寺）
Nearby
Around Arashiyama
Bamboo at first light, then the maple temples under Mount Ogura
Arashiyama is on Kyoto's north-western edge, where Togetsukyo Bridge crosses the Oi River with wooded hills right behind it. You'll want the bridge, Tenryu-ji and the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and so will everyone else. Go early. Then walk north into Sagano. Its temples line the foot of Mount Ogura, and it's quieter at the far end, which Kyoto's official tourism site calls Okusaga.
Arashiyama has 30 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 14 shrines and temples, 4 landmarks, 3 parks and gardens, 2 restaurants, 2 bathhouses, 1 cafe, 1 museum, 1 viewpoint, 1 shop and 1 neighbourhood. Read the Arashiyama guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Nison-in?
- 27 Saga-Nison-in Monzen Chojin-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都府京都市右京区嵯峨二尊院門前長神町27).
- What are the opening hours of Nison-in?
- Daily 9:00 to 16:30.
- How do I get to Nison-in?
- The nearest station is Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line). Nison-in is in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Nison-in cost?
- Nison-in is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Nison-in?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Nison-in?
- Autumn leaf season.
Stay near Nison-in
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