Temple

Shoren-in

Okazaki, Kyoto

Address
69-1 Awataguchi Sanjobocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 京都市東山区粟田口三条坊町69-1
Hours
Daily
9:00 to 17:00

Last entry 16:30.

Source: shorenin.com, checked 11 Oct 2026.

The pond garden of Shoren-in with a small stone bridge and clipped shrubs
Photo: nichols-villa / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Shoren-in is a Tendai temple whose head priests, until the Meiji era, were nearly all imperial princes or sons of the top regent families, and it feels more like a palace than a monastery. You walk through the tatami halls first, then out into a pond garden credited to Soami that borrows the hill behind it, and the Kirishima garden credited to Kobori Enshu.

More photos of Shoren-in

One of the giant camphor trees spreading over the entrance wall of Shoren-in, Kyoto
Photo: y.ganden / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Nearest station Higashiyama (Tozai Line)
Cost ¥
Time needed 45 min
Best time Weekday mornings

Insider tip

Entry is ¥600. The huge camphor trees at the gate tell you you've found it. The temple holds evening light-ups, in 2026 from 17 July to 23 August, and posts the dates on its site.

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What's on at Shoren-in

Upcoming events at Shoren-in and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.

Exhibition Starts in 9 days ¥1,800 with tea and sweet (regular admission extra)

Shoren-in Kobuntei Tea House Opening

青蓮院 茶室「好文亭」の特別公開

1 to 29 Nov Shoren-in, Higashiyama

Time 10:00 to 15:30 Station Jingu-michi bus stop (City Bus 5), 5 min walk

The Kobuntei tea house opens on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays in November, with whisked or steeped tea and a sweet. Regular admission is extra.

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Official site
The pond garden of Shoren-in with a small stone bridge and clipped shrubs nichols-villa, CC BY-SA 2.0
Illumination ¥1,000

Shoren-in Autumn Night Viewing

青蓮院 夜の特別拝観（秋季）

7 Nov to 6 Dec Shoren-in, Okazaki

Time 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:30) Station Jingu-michi bus stop (City Bus 5), 5 min walk

Shoren-in's main image is a Buddha wrapped in light, so the whole temple is lit as an artwork, from inside the halls to the pond garden, the bamboo grove and the giant camphor trees. Its hilltop sister site, Shogunzuka Seiryuden, isn't holding a night viewing in 2026.

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Official site
The pond garden of Shoren-in with a small stone bridge and clipped shrubs nichols-villa, CC BY-SA 2.0
Festival Ends in 2 days

Manbu-e at Chion-in

萬部会（知恩院）

23 to 25 Oct Chion-in, Gion

Time Reception 9:00 to 16:00, daytime service 10:30, evening service 13:30 Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk

Chion-in holds memorial services in the Mieido hall over three days, with a daytime service at 10:30 and an evening service at 13:30.

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The huge wooden main hall of Chion-in across its stone-paved courtyard Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0
Illumination

Chion-in Autumn Light-up

知恩院 秋のライトアップ2026

17 Nov to 6 Dec Chion-in, Gion

Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk

Chion-in's autumn light-up runs from 17 Nov to 6 Dec. The temple's own page says the 2026 details are not yet published, so hours, admission and the lit areas are still to come.

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The huge wooden main hall of Chion-in across its stone-paved courtyard Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0

Smaller local events nearby

  • Betsuji Nenbutsu-e at Chion-in Festival

    Sun 25 Oct, Wed 25 Nov, Fri 25 Dec · Chion-in, Gion

    Chion-in holds a nenbutsu service at Honen's mausoleum on the 25th of each month, the monthly memorial day, from 11:30 to 12:30.

    Map · Source: Chion-in · 別時念仏会（知恩院）

  • Juya-e service at Chion-in Festival

    5 to 6 Nov (dates to be confirmed) · Chion-in, Gion

    Chion-in holds the old-style Juya-e, also called the Kanezane-ki, in the Miedo hall on 5 and 6 November, listed as open for worship.

    Map · Source: Chion-in · 十夜会古式（兼実忌）（知恩院）

See every upcoming event in Kyoto

Nearby

Chion-in Temple · 3 min walk Chion-in is the head temple of Jodo Shu, where the founder Honen taught and spent his last years. Furukawacho Shopping Street Shopping · 5 min walk Furukawacho is a covered shopping street of about 40 shops over 220 metres, running south from Sanjo-dori on the line of the old Wakasa road, the... Maruyama Park Park · 6 min walk Maruyama Park opened in 1886, which makes it Kyoto's oldest park, and it's a designated Place of Scenic Beauty covering 86,000 square metres at the... Okazaki Canal Park · 6 min walk The Okazaki stretch of the Lake Biwa Canal runs through Okazaki Park and under the giant Heian Shrine torii, with cherry trees along its banks. Imobo Hiranoya Honke Food · 6 min walk Hiranoya Honke, inside Maruyama Park, has made imobo for about 300 years. Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu Shopping · 6 min walk Ichizawa Shinzaburo Hanpu sells canvas bags made in its own workshop, from totes to rucksacks, at its only shop anywhere, on Higashioji-dori.

Around Okazaki

Art museums, Meiji gardens and Nanzen-ji along the Lake Biwa Canal

Okazaki is Kyoto's museum quarter. Two art museums sit either side of the approach to Heian Shrine, by its giant torii, and the zoo, a crafts museum and ROHM Theatre Kyoto are a few minutes away round Okazaki Park. Follow the Lake Biwa Canal east and you're at Nanzen-ji, with Eikan-do and Murin-an a short walk from its gate.

Okazaki has 27 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 9 shrines and temples, 6 museums, 4 restaurants, 2 cafes, 2 shops, 2 landmarks and 2 parks and gardens. Read the Okazaki guide.

Good to know

What is the address of Shoren-in?
69-1 Awataguchi Sanjobocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区粟田口三条坊町69-1).
What are the opening hours of Shoren-in?
Daily 9:00 to 17:00. Last entry 16:30.
How do I get to Shoren-in?
The nearest station is Higashiyama (Tozai Line). Shoren-in is in Okazaki, Kyoto.
How much does Shoren-in cost?
Shoren-in is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
How long do you need at Shoren-in?
Plan for 45 min.
When is the best time to visit Shoren-in?
Weekday mornings.

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