Omen Ginkakuji
Ginkakuji, Kyoto
- Mon to Wed
- 10:30 to 17:00
- Fri to Sun
- 10:30 to 16:00, 17:00 to 20:30
- Thu
- Closed
Holidays keep the weekend hours. Thursday closing is irregular, so it opens on some Thursdays. Last orders 30 minutes before closing. Closed 30 December to 2 January.
Source: omen.co.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Yoji and Tomi Shinagawa opened Omen in front of Ginkaku-ji on 10 August 1967. The dish comes from Isesaki in Gunma, where Tomi learned it from her mother-in-law during the war. You dip the udon in a broth of Hokkaido kombu and bonito, adding as much as you like from a heap of condiments such as kinpira burdock, sesame, green onion, ginger and seasonal vegetables.
Insider tip
The signature omen costs ¥1,520, hot or cold, and there's a gluten-free rice noodle version for ¥1,780. Book by phone, since email bookings aren't taken. Thursday closing is irregular, so check the calendar on the site.
What the guides say about Omen Ginkakuji
At Omen Ginkakuji you dip udon in a kombu and bonito broth and add sesame, ginger, kinpira burdock and seasonal vegetables from a heap of condiments, ¥1,520 hot or cold. Book by phone. Yamamoto Menzou, near Heian Shrine, has ten counter seats and two tables. Book a time slot, online up to three days ahead or by phone from 9:00 on the day. In Arashiyama, Arashiyama Yoshimura makes its own soba by the north end of Togetsukyo, from ¥1,440, with an English menu.
What's on near Omen Ginkakuji
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Omen Ginkakuji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Ginkaku-ji Autumn Special Opening of the Togudo
銀閣寺 秋の特別公開 国宝 東求堂
Time Guided visits at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30 (about 30 minutes) Station Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 5, 7), 10 min walk
Ginkaku-ji opens its main hall and the National Treasure Togudo, whose four-and-a-half-mat study, Dojinsai, is where tea, flower and incense culture took shape, on guided visits of about 20 people, in Japanese only. Sign the sheet in front of the main hall about an hour before your slot. It's ¥2,000 on top of regular admission.
Reginald Pentinio, CC BY 2.0 Ginkaku-ji Spring Special Viewing of the Togudo
銀閣寺 春の特別拝観 国宝東求堂
Time Tours at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30 Station Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 5, 7, 203)
A guided 30-minute visit inside the main hall and the Togudo, whose four-and-a-half-mat study, Dojinsai, is seen as the starting point of tea, flower arranging and incense. Groups are capped and you can't take photos.
Reginald Pentinio, CC BY 2.0 Honen-in Erhu Concert vol.7 by Kusuda Nahoko
楠田名保子 法然院・二胡コンサートvol.7『祈韻包心』
Time 18:00 (doors 17:30), ends about 19:30 Station Jodoji bus stop (City Bus 5), about 10 min walk, or Minamida-cho (City Bus 32), 5 min walk
Erhu concert in the main hall with a capacity of 80, first come first served.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Honen-in Small Bonsai Exhibition (Hiroki-ten)
第21回「広樹展」小品盆栽 in 法然院
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station City Bus 5 to Jodoji, about 10 min walk; or City Bus 32 to Minamida-cho, 5 min walk
A two-day show of small bonsai in the Hojo hall, free to view.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Honen-in Faust (Gekko Parade touring theatre)
ゲッコーパレード出張公演 家を渉る劇vol.7『法然院ファウスト』
Time 18:00 (doors 17:30) Station City bus stops Minamida-cho or Jodoji, 5 to 10 min walk
Five performances of a staged Goethe Faust inside the Honen-in temple, about 75 minutes each. No show on 7 November.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Nearby
Around Ginkakuji
Temple gardens along a canal path, under the Daimonji hill
Get to Ginkaku-ji for its 8:30 opening, because the temple fills up as the day goes on. Then walk south on the Philosopher's Path, about 1.8 km of stone path beside a branch of the Lake Biwa Canal, and turn off it for the temples on either side. Honen-in's grounds open at 6:00, and you don't pay to go in.
Ginkakuji has 15 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 7 shrines and temples, 2 museums, 2 restaurants, 1 viewpoint, 1 shop, 1 neighbourhood and 1 bathhouse. Read the Ginkakuji guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Omen Ginkakuji?
- 74 Jodoji Ishibashi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区浄土寺石橋町74番地).
- What are the opening hours of Omen Ginkakuji?
- Mon to Wed 10:30 to 17:00; Fri to Sun 10:30 to 16:00, 17:00 to 20:30; Closed Thu. Holidays keep the weekend hours. Thursday closing is irregular, so it opens on some Thursdays. Last orders 30 minutes before closing. Closed 30 December to 2 January.
- How do I get to Omen Ginkakuji?
- The nearest station is Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 5, 7, 32, 102, 203, 204). Omen Ginkakuji is in Ginkakuji, Kyoto.
- How much does Omen Ginkakuji cost?
- Omen Ginkakuji is mid-range, marked ¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Omen Ginkakuji?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Omen Ginkakuji?
- Weekday lunch.
Stay near Omen Ginkakuji
Browse live availability and compare prices around Ginkakuji.
See hotels near Omen Ginkakuji on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Kyoto earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.