To-ji Kobo-ichi Market
Kyoto Station, Kyoto
Source: toji.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
On the 21st of every month, Kobo-san's day, nearly 1,000 stalls fill To-ji's grounds. It started over 700 years ago as tea stalls for pilgrims at the monthly Mieku service for Kukai. Then came stalls selling dango, firewood, charcoal and pots.
Insider tip
Stalls start setting up when the gates open at 5:00, and nearly all of them are trading by about 8:00. Packing up starts around 16:00, earlier if it rains. There's no parking at To-ji on market days. The Mieku service starts at 10:00 in the Miedo.
What the guides say about To-ji Kobo-ichi Market
16. To-ji on the 21st. Nearly 1,000 stalls fill the grounds for the Kobo-ichi Market. They set up from 5:00, nearly all are trading by 8:00, and packing up starts around 16:00, earlier if it rains. To-ji is all that still stands of Heian-kyo, the capital founded in 794, and its pagoda, about 55 m tall, was rebuilt in 1644.
What's on near To-ji Kobo-ichi Market
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of To-ji Kobo-ichi Market, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
To-ji Treasure Hall Autumn Exhibition
東寺 宝物館 2026秋期特別公開 東寺五重塔の美術と歴史
Time 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Toji Station (Kintetsu), 5 min walk
The exhibition looks at the art and history of the five-storey pagoda over twelve centuries. It is open every day of the run.
Garakuta-ichi at To-ji
ガラクタ市（東寺）
Station Toji (Kintetsu Kyoto Line), 10 min walk
To-ji's smaller monthly market of antiques and handmade goods, held on the first Sunday rather than the big Kobo-ichi on the 21st.
Kobo-ichi Market at To-ji
弘法市（東寺）
Time About 5:00 to 16:00 Station Toji (Kintetsu Kyoto Line), 10 min walk
On the 21st of every month, Kukai's memorial day, about 1,200 to 1,300 stalls fill To-ji's grounds with antiques, old kimono and secondhand odds and ends, and about 200,000 people come. Most stallholders are dealers with shops elsewhere, it goes ahead in the rain, and stalls open from about 5:00, so come early if you're hunting for something.
To-ji Jikido Autumn Event: 20th Kanransai Exhibition
東寺 食堂 秋の催し 第20回 観瀾斎作品展
Station Toji Station (Kintetsu), 5 min walk
Works by Kanransai are shown in the temple's Jikido as its autumn event. Entry is free.
To-ji Five-Storey Pagoda First Floor Special Opening
東寺 五重塔初層特別公開
Time 8:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Toji Station (Kintetsu), 5 min walk
The ground floor of the pagoda opens every day. The ¥1,200 ticket also covers the Kondo and Kodo halls.
Smaller local events nearby
To-ji Lecture Hall and Five-Storey Pagoda Autumn Opening Exhibition
31 Oct to 8 Nov · To-ji, Kujo
A special opening of To-ji's Lecture Hall with its three-dimensional mandala and the first-floor interior of the five-storey pagoda.
¥1,200 adult, ¥700 high school, ¥500 junior high and under · 08:00 to 16:30 · Map · Source: Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association · 東寺 講堂・五重塔
Daihannya-e sutra reading at To-ji Festival
1st of every month. Next: Sun 1 Nov · To-ji, Kyoto Station
On the 1st of each month at 10:00 To-ji's Daihannya-e service has monks turn through the 600-scroll sutra, and visitors can sit in the Mieido hall and receive the sutra afterwards.
10:00 · Map · Source: To-ji · 大般若会（東寺）
Nearby
Around Kyoto Station
Free temples and late ramen a few minutes from the platforms
Most visitors only see Kyoto Station on the way in or out, which is a shame. Higashi Hongan-ji is 7 minutes north on foot and free, To-ji's pagoda is 15 minutes south, and at the railway museum to the west a working steam engine will pull you along. After dark, 15,000 LEDs light the station's 171-step staircase.
Kyoto Station has 23 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 4 shrines and temples, 4 museums, 3 restaurants, 2 shops, 2 cafes, 2 parks and gardens, 2 bathhouses, 1 bar, 1 landmark, 1 viewpoint and 1 market. Read the Kyoto Station guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of To-ji Kobo-ichi Market?
- 1 Kujo-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市南区九条町1番地).
- How do I get to To-ji Kobo-ichi Market?
- The nearest station is Toji (Kintetsu Kyoto Line). To-ji Kobo-ichi Market is in Kyoto Station, Kyoto.
- How much does To-ji Kobo-ichi Market cost?
- Nothing. To-ji Kobo-ichi Market is free to visit.
- How long do you need at To-ji Kobo-ichi Market?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit To-ji Kobo-ichi Market?
- The 21st, from 8am.
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