Ryoan-ji
Kinkakuji, Kyoto
1 Dec to 29 Feb
- Daily
- 8:30 to 16:30
Rest of the year
- Daily
- 8:00 to 17:00
Open every day. The gate shuts 30 minutes after the listed closing time.
Source: ryoanji.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Ryoan-ji's rock garden is 15 stones set in 248 square metres of white sand, and nobody knows what its maker meant by them. Hosokawa Katsumoto founded the temple in 1450 on a villa of the Tokudaiji family, and the garden probably dates from 1499, when the abbot's hall was built. The earthen wall around it is 180 cm high, made of clay mixed with rapeseed oil.
More photos of Ryoan-ji
Insider tip
It opens at 8:00 from March to November (8:30 in winter), so you can see it before Kinkaku-ji opens at 9:00. Entry is ¥600 for adults, ¥500 for high school students and ¥300 for primary and junior high students. City Bus 59 stops right outside at Ryoanji-mae. The temple says to allow 30 to 40 minutes.
What the guides say about Ryoan-ji
3. Ryoan-ji first, then Kinkaku-ji. Ryoan-ji opens at 8:00 from March to November, an hour before the Golden Pavilion, so do them in that order. Its rock garden is 15 stones in 248 square metres of white sand, and nobody knows what its maker meant (¥600). Kinkaku-ji costs ¥500 and takes about 45 minutes. There aren't any lockers, so leave big bags at the station. The Kinkakuji guide adds Ninna-ji, on the same road.
11. Go early, because ticket desks close early. Temple and shrine ticket desks often close around 16:00, so don't leave the big ones for late afternoon. Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6:00, and from March to November Ryoan-ji opens at 8:00 and Ginkaku-ji at 8:30 (half an hour later in winter), while Fushimi Inari Taisha, Yasaka Shrine and Kyoto Gyoen never close. The early morning list has more.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Ryoan-ji
Upcoming events at Ryoan-ji and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Ryoan-ji After-hours Viewing
龍安寺 閉門後特別拝観
Time 16:00 to 18:30 (assemble by 15:50), Sat and Sun Station Ryoanji-mae bus stop (City Bus 59), at the gate
A guided evening visit on Saturdays and Sundays to mark the new cloud-dragon painting by Hosokawa Morihiro. Maximum 20 people a day, reservation required, no children of elementary age or under.
Angel de los Rios, CC BY-SA 2.0 Ninna-ji Reihokan Autumn Treasures Exhibition
仁和寺 霊宝館 秋季名宝展
Time 10:00 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00), closed Mondays except 12 Oct and 23 Nov Station Omuro-ninnaji Station (Randen), 2 min walk
The temple museum shows its autumn selection of treasures. Reihokan admission is ¥500 for adults.
josef knecht, CC BY 3.0 Autumn Cloud-sea Light-up at Ninna-ji
紅葉雲海ライトアップ（仁和寺）
Time 18:30 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30) Station Omuro-Ninnaji (Randen Kitano Line)
Ninna-ji lights its autumn maples on Friday to Sunday and holiday evenings, with mist rolling through the grounds like a sea of clouds and music played in the garden. It was ¥2,800 in 2026, free for high school students and under.
josef knecht, CC BY 3.0 Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Festival (Kinugasa Saiten)
立命館大学 衣笠祭典
Station Ritsumeikan-daigaku-mae (Randen), short walk
The student festival committee holds the Kinugasa campus festival and says visitors are welcome, with the programme to be published later.
Omuro Flower Festival at Ninna-ji
御室花まつり（仁和寺）
Time 8:30 to 17:30 (last entry 30 min before) Station Omuro-Ninnaji (Randen), about 3 min walk
Ninna-ji's Omuro cherries, a protected Place of Scenic Beauty, are at their best in early to mid April, with azaleas and then new maple leaves after them. The grounds charge a special entry fee during the festival.
josef knecht, CC BY 3.0 Nearby
Around Kinkakuji
Three World Heritage temples on one road under Mount Kinugasa
Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji and Ninna-ji all sit on Kinukake-no-Michi, a road that climbs about 2.5 km from Omuro-Ninnaji Station up to the Golden Pavilion. Start at Ryoan-ji, which opens at 8:00 from March to November, an hour before Kinkaku-ji. South of the road, Myoshin-ji's grounds don't close at all, and they hold more than 40 subtemples.
Kinkakuji has 14 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 9 shrines and temples, 2 museums, 1 cafe, 1 restaurant and 1 viewpoint. Read the Kinkakuji guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Ryoan-ji?
- 13 Ryoanji Goryonoshita-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市右京区龍安寺御陵下町13).
- What are the opening hours of Ryoan-ji?
- 1 Dec to 29 Feb: Daily 8:30 to 16:30. Rest of the year: Daily 8:00 to 17:00. Open every day. The gate shuts 30 minutes after the listed closing time.
- How do I get to Ryoan-ji?
- The nearest station is Ryoanji-mae bus stop (City Bus 59). Ryoan-ji is in Kinkakuji, Kyoto.
- How much does Ryoan-ji cost?
- Ryoan-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Ryoan-ji?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Ryoan-ji?
- Right at opening.
Stay near Ryoan-ji
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