What's on in Kyoto

Kyoto events in December 2026

45 events in December 2026: 13 exhibitions, 12 illuminations, 8 festivals, 5 gardens, 3 anime and games events, 3 markets and 1 performance, from headline festivals to neighbourhood fairs. 2 of them are annual events whose 2026 dates are still to be confirmed, listed with their usual window.

Some colour lasts into the first days of the month. To-ji's Kobo-ichi on the 21st and the Tenjin-san market on the 25th are the year's last monthly markets, and on 31 December temples across the city ring their bells at midnight for joya no kane. More on the season in Things to do in Kyoto.

Map

The big dates in December 2026

Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza 1 to 24 Dec · Gion
Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado 7 to 8 Dec · Kitano
Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen 17 Dec to 11 Jan · Okazaki
Nitten Kyoto Exhibition 19 Dec to 16 Jan · Okazaki
Year-end Dust Cleaning at Nishi Honganji 20 Dec · Kyoto Station
Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine 31 Dec · Gion

Day by day

What's on each day of December 2026, events starting that day first. Annual events still waiting for their 2026 dates aren't listed here.

Tue 1 Dec: Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Kyoto State Guest House Autumn Evening Opening · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening and 27 more
Wed 2 Dec: Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening · Chion-in Autumn Light-up · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza and 26 more
Thu 3 Dec: Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening · Chion-in Autumn Light-up · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza and 26 more
Fri 4 Dec: Heian Rakuichi Handmade Market (December) · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening · Chion-in Autumn Light-up and 27 more
Sat 5 Dec: Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening · Chion-in Autumn Light-up · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza and 26 more
Sun 6 Dec: Kan'ei Imperial Procession Re-enactment (400th Anniversary) · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening · Chion-in Autumn Light-up and 25 more
Mon 7 Dec: Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening · To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing and 13 more
Tue 8 Dec: Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening · To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing and 12 more
Wed 9 Dec: Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening · To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 11 more
Thu 10 Dec: Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening · To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 11 more
Fri 11 Dec: Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai · Ninna-ji 'Sea of Clouds' Autumn Light-up and 10 more
Sat 12 Dec: Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai · Ninna-ji 'Sea of Clouds' Autumn Light-up and 10 more
Sun 13 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 11 more
Mon 14 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai · Sumitomo Shunsui: 100 Years On and 7 more
Tue 15 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai · Sumitomo Shunsui: 100 Years On and 7 more
Wed 16 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai · Sumitomo Shunsui: 100 Years On and 6 more
Thu 17 Dec: Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 7 more
Fri 18 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 7 more
Sat 19 Dec: Nitten Kyoto Exhibition · Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen and 8 more
Sun 20 Dec: Year-end Dust Cleaning at Higashi Honganji · Year-end Dust Cleaning at Nishi Honganji · Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza and 10 more
Mon 21 Dec: Shimai-Kobo, the Last Kobo Market of the Year · Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen and 7 more
Tue 22 Dec: New Year Feature: All About Sheep · Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen and 7 more
Wed 23 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition and 7 more
Thu 24 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition and 7 more
Fri 25 Dec: Shimai-Tenjin, the Last Tenjin Market of the Year · Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition and 7 more
Sat 26 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 6 more
Sun 27 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 6 more
Mon 28 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 6 more
Tue 29 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 6 more
Wed 30 Dec: Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 5 more
Thu 31 Dec: Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine · Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen · Nitten Kyoto Exhibition · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai and 5 more

Dated events in December

Anime and games On now ¥

The Children Who Grew Up with Manga: 40 Years of Manga Culture in Europe

「Mangaと育った子どもたち：ヨーロッパにおけるManga文化の40年」展

17 Sept to 19 Jan Kyoto International Manga Museum, Shijo-Karasuma

Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 2 min walk

How Japanese manga was translated, read, criticised and taken up over 40 years in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Germany, ending with work by Europeans who grew up on it and now draw manga themselves. It's included in the museum ticket, and the museum is closed on Wednesdays.

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The former school building of the Kyoto International Manga Museum behind its lawn

ESU, CC BY 3.0

Exhibition On now ¥1,000

Daitoku-ji Juko-in 460th Anniversary Special Opening

大徳寺聚光院開創460年特別公開

18 Sept to 6 Dec Juko-in, Daitoku-ji, Kitano

Time 9:30 to 15:30 (last entry) Station Daitokuji-mae bus stop (City Bus 1, 204, 205, 206), 5 min walk

Sen no Rikyu's family temple at Daitoku-ji opens for the first time in about three and a half years, with copies of the National Treasure wall paintings by Kano Eitoku and his father Shoei, Senju Hiroshi's waterfall panels and the tea room Kan'in-seki. It's cash only, preschool children can't enter, and it's closed on 14, 16 to 18, 27 and 28 Oct and 21, 22 and 27 to 29 Nov.

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A raked gravel garden with a moss island at Ryogen-in, a subtemple of Daitoku-ji

Eric Salard, CC BY-SA 2.0

Exhibition On now ¥1,500

Shapes of Love: The Lost Shunga Scroll Chigo no Soshi

「愛のカタチ－幻の春画《稚児草紙》公開－」

19 Sept to 17 Jan Fukuda Art Museum, Arashiyama

Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Arashiyama (Randen), 4 min walk

The museum shows the early 14th-century Chigo no Soshi scroll in public for the first time, with painted shunga by Tsukioka Settei and others, Hokusai's Nami Chidori, made in his 70s, and paintings about love by Uemura Shoen and Kaburaki Kiyokata. Nobody under 18 is admitted, and you may be asked for photo ID.

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The glass and dark steel front of the Fukuda Art Museum in Arashiyama, with its name plate on the stone wall

運動会プロテインパワー, CC BY-SA 4.0

Exhibition On now ¥1,800

Yamaga Seika: Textile Artist of Soaring Imagination

特別展生誕140年記念染織家山鹿清華宙翔ぶイマジネーション

19 Sept to 20 Dec Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 8 min walk

The first retrospective in 40 years of Yamaga Seika, who designed, chose the thread and wove his own tapestries, from Gion Matsuri float hangings to wall pieces showing locomotives, rockets and Tokyo Tower. It's closed on Mondays unless they're holidays.

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The 1930s facade of the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art in Okazaki

そらみみ, CC BY-SA 3.0

Exhibition On now ¥1,000

Shokoku-ji Autumn Special Opening

相国寺秋の特別拝観

26 Sept to 15 Dec Shokoku-ji, Imperial Palace

Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line)

Shokoku-ji opens its Hatto, the oldest surviving Dharma hall in Japan, along with the abbot's quarters and the founder's hall. Look up at the 'crying dragon' Kano Mitsunobu painted on the Hatto ceiling. It's closed for services from 18 to 21 Oct.

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The Dharma Hall of Shokoku-ji at the end of a paved path lined with pines

663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0

Garden On now ¥2,000

Rurikoin Autumn Special Opening

瑠璃光院 2026年秋の特別拝観

1 Oct to 13 Dec Rurikoin, Yase

Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Yase-Hieizanguchi (Eizan Railway), 10 min walk

Rurikoin, at the foot of Mount Hiei in Yase, opens for the autumn season and gets very busy. From 13 Nov to 6 Dec you have to book ahead on the temple's site, and junior and senior high school students pay ¥1,000.

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Garden On now ¥700

Hogon-in Autumn Opening and Night Viewing

宝厳院秋の特別拝観・夜間特別拝観

3 Oct to 6 Dec Hogon-in, Arashiyama

Time 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:45), night viewing from 13 Nov 17:30 to 20:30 (last entry 20:00) Station Arashiyama (Randen), 3 min walk

This Tenryu-ji sub-temple opens its Shishiku garden, which borrows Arashiyama as a backdrop, round a lion-shaped rock under heavy maples, and for an extra ¥500 you can see Tamura Noriko's paintings in the main hall. From 13 Nov the garden is also lit at night (17:30 to 20:30, ¥1,000).

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The great mossy lion rock in the Shishiku garden of Hogon-in, with a bamboo railed path in front

663highland, CC BY 2.5

Anime and games On now ¥1,900

Zen and Ghibli

「禅とジブリ」京都展

3 Oct to 6 Dec Higashiyama Cube, Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 8 min walk

Built on producer Suzuki Toshio's book of conversations with Zen monks, this hands-on show looks at Ghibli films through a Zen eye, set in the world of Miyazaki Hayao's The Boy and the Heron. It's closed on Mondays unless they're holidays, and numbered entry tickets may be handed out when it's crowded.

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そらみみ, CC BY-SA 3.0

Exhibition On now ¥800

Daikaku-ji Shinden Special Opening for the Kan'ei Visit's 400th Year

寛永行幸400年記念・宸殿特別拝観

9 Oct to 7 Dec Daikaku-ji, Arashiyama

Time 9:00 to 16:50 (last entry 16:30) Station Daikakuji bus stop (City Bus 28, 91)

Daikaku-ji lets you inside the Peony Room of its Shinden, the hall Empress Tofukumon'in lived in, to see Kano Sanraku's peony paintings up close. It's included in the normal ¥800 entry, and the autumn treasure show runs alongside for an extra ¥500.

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The vermilion Shingyo Hoto pagoda of Daikaku-ji reflected in a pond in Kyoto

m-louis ., CC BY-SA 2.0

Exhibition Starts in 5 days ¥1,000

Maruyama Okyo and Ito Jakuchu

「円山応挙と伊藤若冲」

17 Oct to 20 Jun Shokoku-ji Jotenkaku Museum, Imperial Palace

Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), exit 3, 8 min walk

Okyo's Peony and Peacock (first half of the autumn period) and his Great Waterfall, over 3.6 m tall (second half), hang alongside all 50 of Jakuchu's ink panels from the great study room of Kinkaku-ji, where he shows what he could do without colour. It's closed for New Year from 27 Dec to 8 Jan.

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The paved path through a green garden to the entrance of the Jotenkaku Museum at Shokoku-ji

663highland, CC BY 2.5

Illumination Starts in 11 days ¥500

Entoku-in Autumn Exhibition and Night Viewing

圓徳院特別展と夜間特別拝観

23 Oct to 13 Dec Entoku-in, Gion

Time Night viewing 17:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:30), screens on show from 10:00 Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206)

Nene spent her last 19 years at this Kodai-ji sub-temple, and its north garden, a dry landscape later reworked by Kobori Enshu, is lit at night while the Toyotomi family's Teikan-zu screens are on show. A ¥1,200 ticket covers both Entoku-in and Kodai-ji, and it's closed on 11 and 12 Dec.

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Illumination Starts in 11 days ¥2,000 to ¥2,400

Nijo Castle Autumn Light-up (NAKED meets Nijo-jo 2026)

二条城まつり2026 NAKED meets 二条城 2026

23 Oct to 5 Dec Nijo Castle, Nijo

Time 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00) Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk

For the 400th anniversary of the Kan'ei imperial visit, the castle's night light-up is an art show by NAKED built around Tokugawa Masako and Kan'ei-era design, with maples, ginkgo and cherry trees lit along the way. Tickets are ¥2,000 Monday to Thursday and ¥2,400 Friday to Sunday and on holidays (¥400 less if bought by 22 Oct), and children up to junior high school get in free.

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The white corner turret of Nijo Castle above its stone wall and moat

Pom', CC BY-SA 2.0

Exhibition Starts in 12 days ¥2,000

Whom Does Jewellery Dream Of?

ジュエリーは、誰を夢みる

24 Oct to 17 Jan The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 18:00, Fridays to 20:00 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 10 min walk

About 350 pieces trace contemporary jewellery in postwar Japan, from the Japan Jewellery Designers Association's founding in 1964 to artists working now, including works from Germany shown here for the first time in about 50 years. It's closed on Mondays (open 23 Nov and 11 Jan), 24 Nov, 12 Jan and from 29 Dec to 3 Jan.

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The grey stone and glass front of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

Wiiii, CC BY-SA 3.0

Illumination Starts in 12 days ¥2,800

Ninna-ji 'Sea of Clouds' Autumn Light-up

世界遺産仁和寺紅葉雲海ライトアップ

24 Oct to 13 Dec Ninna-ji, Kinkakuji

Time Fri, Sat, Sun and holidays, 18:30 to 21:00 (entry 18:00 to 20:30) Station Omuro-Ninnaji bus stop (City Bus 26), 1 min walk

Ninna-ji lights its autumn maples above a 'sea of clouds', with a 528 Hz 'healing sound garden' playing. It runs on Fridays, weekends and holidays only, not on 8 or 28 Nov, and high school students and younger get in free.

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The two-storey Niomon gate at the entrance of Ninna-ji

josef knecht, CC BY 3.0

Illumination Starts in 12 days ¥880

Sagano Romantic Train Autumn Light-up

嵯峨野トロッコ列車秋のライトアップ「光の幻想列車」

24 Oct to 29 Dec Sagano Scenic Railway, Arashiyama

Time From 16:30 to the last train Station Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line)

From late afternoon the trains run past lit maples and illuminations in the Hozu gorge between Torokko Arashiyama and Torokko Kameoka. The railway says it's the last autumn light-up you'll see from the current carriages, and there's no service on 16 Dec.

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Garden ¥1,500

Kitano Tenmangu Momiji-en Maple Garden

史跡御土居のもみじ苑

31 Oct to 6 Dec Kitano Tenmangu, Kitano

Time 9:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:40), to 20:00 during the light-up from 13 Nov (last entry 19:40) Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50), 1 min walk

About 350 maples grow on the Odoi, the earth rampart Toyotomi Hideyoshi built round Kyoto, and the garden opens for the season with a light-up after dark from 13 Nov. Look out for the vermilion Uguisu Bridge over the Kamiya River, and the ticket comes with a sweet based on fu-no-yaki, said to have been devised by Sen no Rikyu.

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The carved Sanmon gate of Kitano Tenmangu hung with a large ema plaque

z tanuki, CC BY 3.0

Illumination ¥2,100 to ¥2,300

NAKED GARDEN NIGHTS at Higashi Honganji and Shosei-en

NAKED GARDEN NIGHTS 東本願寺・渉成園

31 Oct to 6 Dec Higashi Honganji and Shosei-en, Kyoto Station

Time 18:00 to 22:00 (Higashi Honganji last entry 21:00) Station Gojo (Karasuma Line), 5 min walk

NAKED lights Higashi Honganji and its detached garden Shosei-en for an evening walk through five scenes. Adult tickets are ¥2,100 Monday to Thursday and ¥2,300 Friday to Sunday and on holidays (¥200 less in advance), and from 6 to 8 Nov and on 25 Nov only Shosei-en is open.

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The vast Goei-do founder's hall of Higashi Hongan-ji across its gravel courtyard

Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0

Exhibition ¥1,200

Sumitomo Shunsui: 100 Years On

特別展没後100年記念住友春翠－仕合せの住友近代美術コレクション

31 Oct to 20 Dec Sen-oku Hakuko Kan, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed Mondays (open 23 Nov) and 24 Nov Station Miyanomae-cho bus stop (City Bus 32, 105), 1 min walk

A centenary show for Sumitomo Shunsui, the 15th head of the Sumitomo family, whose collecting laid the museum's foundations, with Japanese and Western paintings and crafts including Monet's Parc Monceau and Fujishima Takeji's Sachi aru asa. Under-18s get in free, and the ticket covers the Bronze Gallery of ancient Chinese bronzes too.

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Illumination ¥1,000

To-ji Autumn Light-up and Night Viewing

東寺紅葉ライトアップと金堂・講堂夜間特別拝観

31 Oct to 13 Dec To-ji, Kyoto Station

Time 18:00 to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Toji (Kintetsu Kyoto Line), 10 min walk

About 200 maples round the five-storey pagoda are lit and reflected in Hyotan Pond, and the Kondo and Kodo halls, with the Kodo's 3D mandala of statues, open after dark. By day over the same dates, the pagoda's richly painted first floor is open too (8:00 to 17:00).

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Exhibition ¥2,000

Ginkaku-ji Autumn Special Opening of the Togudo

銀閣寺秋の特別公開国宝東求堂

1 Nov to 5 Dec Ginkaku-ji, Ginkakuji

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, and it's ¥2,000 on top of the usual ¥1,000 entry.

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The Silver Pavilion of Ginkaku-ji above its pond and moss garden

Reginald Pentinio, CC BY 2.0

Illumination ¥1,500

Chishaku-in Night Viewing

智積院夜間特別拝観

7 Nov to 6 Dec Chishaku-in, Higashiyama

Time 17:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:40) Station Shichijo (Keihan), 10 min walk

Chishaku-in lights the approach to its Kondo hall and the bell tower among the autumn leaves. The treasure house, with the Hasegawa Tohaku school's National Treasure wall paintings, stays closed at night, and children 12 and under go free.

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The Kondo main hall of Chishaku-in with its green windows and grey tiled roof

Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0

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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The pond garden of Shoren-in with a small stone bridge and clipped shrubs

nichols-villa, CC BY-SA 2.0

Garden ¥1,500

Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening

圓光寺紅葉特別拝観

10 Nov to 10 Dec Enko-ji, Ichijoji

Time 9:00 to 17:00 Station Ichijoji (Eizan Railway), 15 min walk

Northern Kyoto's cold gives Enko-ji strong autumn colour, and for this season you need a timed ticket, bookable online from 20 Oct. Walk-ins get in only if there's space left on the day, and the car park is closed.

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Exhibition ¥1,500

Eikan-do Autumn Treasure Exhibition

永観堂秋の寺宝展

11 Nov to 6 Dec Eikan-do (Zenrin-ji), Okazaki

Time 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:00) Station Nanzenji Eikando-michi bus stop (City Bus 5), 3 min walk

Eikan-do brings out Important Cultural Properties from its collection while its roughly 3,000 maples turn. The ¥1,500 ticket includes the garden, and the nearest bus stop, Nanzenji Eikando-michi, closes at the busiest times.

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The pond and arched bridge of Eikan-do in Kyoto surrounded by autumn maples

Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0

Illumination ¥1,000

Kurodani Konkai Komyo-ji Autumn Night Viewing

くろ谷金戒光明寺秋の特別公開夜間拝観

13 Nov to 6 Dec Konkai Komyo-ji (Kurodani), Ginkakuji

Time 17:30 to 20:30 (last entry 20:00) Station Okazaki-michi bus stop (City Bus 32, 203, 204), 10 min walk

Konkai Komyo-ji lights its Goeido hall and the Shiun garden, where the maples reflect in the pond, shows Ito Jakuchu's rooster screens in the great abbot's hall, and lights next-door Eisho-in too (¥1,600 for both). Koto and shinobue players give 20-minute sets at 17:45, 18:30 and 19:30, included in the ticket.

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The large main hall of Konkai Komyo-ji temple at Kurodani in Okazaki, Kyoto

NORITO,S, CC BY-SA 3.0

Illumination ¥800

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

Time 17:30 to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk

Chion-in lights the Yuzen-en garden, the huge Sanmon gate, the Otoko-zaka steps and the Miedo hall. This year the gallery round the Sanmon's upper floor is open at night too, so you can look out over the city.

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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 ¥1,500

Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing

醍醐寺秋期夜間拝観

20 Nov to 6 Dec Daigo-ji, Daigo

Time 18:00 to 20:50 (last entry 20:10) Station Daigo (Tozai Line), 12 min walk

Daigo-ji lights the maples of the Rinsen pond area, where the red Bentendo and the trees reflect in the water, and the temple buildings round them. Day and night visitors are fully separated, so you'll need a night ticket.

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The five-storey pagoda of Daigo-ji, finished in 951, standing among the trees of the temple grounds

Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Garden ¥800

Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening

霊鑑寺秋の特別拝観

20 Nov to 6 Dec Reikan-ji, Ginkakuji

Time 10:00 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00) Station Kamigu-no-mae-cho bus stop (City Bus 32), 5 min walk

Reikan-ji, a convent founded in 1654 whose abbesses were imperial princesses, opens its moss and maple garden, a study moved from Emperor Gosai's palace with Kano-school paintings, and its main hall, with guides explaining the buildings. It's better known for spring camellias, so autumn is the rarer chance.

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A hall of Reikan-ji above its stone garden slope, with pines, a stone lantern and red autumn maples

Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0

Anime and games ¥1,600

The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai

令和6年能登半島地震復興祈念不滅の力永井豪 -永井豪記念館リバイバル-

28 Nov to 11 Jan Museum of Kyoto, Shijo-Karasuma

Time 10:00 to 18:00, Fridays to 19:30 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk

When the 2024 Noto earthquake burned the Go Nagai Memorial Museum in Wajima, 108 original drawings and figures by the creator of Mazinger Z, Devilman and Cutie Honey were found intact inside. They're shown here with original manuscripts and a new manga he drew for the show, and the museum is closed on Mondays (open 11 Jan) and from 28 Dec to 4 Jan.

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The red brick annex of the Museum of Kyoto, a former bank building on Sanjo-dori

Photograph by Mike Peel www.mikepeel.net., CC BY-SA 4.0

Illumination ¥1,500

Kyoto State Guest House Autumn Evening Opening

京都迎賓館秋の夜間延長公開

28 Nov to 1 Dec Kyoto State Guest House, Imperial Palace

Time Open to 19:15 (last admission 18:15) Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), exit 3, 15 min walk

For four days the State Guest House stays open into the evening, when its shoji screens glow like big lanterns over the central pond. There's no booking or guide, children of primary school age and younger can't enter, and you'll want a torch for the dark walk through the Imperial Park.

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The garden pond of the Kyoto State Guest House, with koi, water lilies and the low wooden buildings along its edge

Indiana jo, CC BY-SA 4.0

Performance ¥6,000 to ¥28,000

Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza

京の年中行事當る未歳吉例顔見世興行東西合同大歌舞伎

1 to 24 Dec Minamiza, Gion

Time Matinee 10:30, evening 16:00 Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), exit 6, 1 min walk

Kyoto's December kabuki brings star actors from Tokyo and Kansai together at Minamiza, a custom from the Edo era, when each theatre showed off its new company for the year. Tickets go on sale on 9 Nov, there are no shows on 9 and 17 Dec, and a few sessions are privately booked.

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The facade of the Minamiza kabuki theatre hung with actor signboards and a red lantern

kajikawa, CC BY 3.0

Market Free

Heian Rakuichi Handmade Market (December)

平安楽市

4 Dec Okazaki Park, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Okazaki Koen Rohm Theatre Kyoto Miyakomesse-mae bus stop (City Bus), 1 min walk

Up to about 160 stalls of original crafts and homemade snacks set up in Okazaki Park, with Heian Shrine's buildings behind them. It goes ahead in the rain.

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Festival Free

Kan'ei Imperial Procession Re-enactment (400th Anniversary)

寛永行幸四百年祭行幸行列再現

6 Dec Kyoto Imperial Palace to Nijo Castle, Imperial Palace

Time Leaves Kenreimon about 12:30, reaches Nijo Castle east gate about 15:00 Station Marutamachi or Imadegawa (Karasuma Line)

About 330 people re-create Emperor Go-Mizunoo's 1626 procession to Nijo Castle in three groups, led by Empress Masako, the shogun Iemitsu and the emperor, with court musicians, walking about 3 km from the palace's Kenreimon gate. It goes ahead in light rain but not heavy rain, and Nijo Castle's last entry that day is at noon.

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The Kenreimon gate of the Kyoto Imperial Palace behind its broad gravel forecourt

DavideGorla, CC BY 2.0

Festival ¥1,000

Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado

成道会法要と大根（だいこ）焚き

7 to 8 Dec Senbon Shakado (Daihoon-ji), Kitano

Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50), 3 min walk

Daikon radishes marked with Sanskrit letters are blessed, cut into rounds and simmered with fried tofu in huge pots, and a bowl is said to keep illness away. The temple holds it on 7 and 8 Dec to mark the Buddha's enlightenment.

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The 1227 main hall of Senbon Shakado, Daiho-on-ji temple, Kyoto

Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY-SA 4.0

Festival Free

Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji

空也踊躍念仏

13 to 30 Dec Rokuharamitsu-ji, Higashiyama

Time 15:00 on 13 to 15, 19, 20 and 26 to 30 Dec Station Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206), 7 min walk

The dancing nembutsu that Kuya, the temple's founder, started to drive away an epidemic in the Heian period is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. It's held at 15:00 on 13 to 15, 19, 20 and 26 to 30 Dec, and the 31 Dec service is closed to the public.

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The vermilion main hall of Rokuharamitsu-ji behind its stone gateposts

Hikomi Moneru, CC BY 3.0

Festival Free

Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri

春日若宮おん祭

15 to 18 Dec (dates to be confirmed) Kasuga Taisha, Nara

Time Procession 17 Dec from 12:00, Otabisho-sai from about 14:30 Station Kintetsu-Nara (Kintetsu Nara Line)

Nara's Kasuga Wakamiya festival centres on 15 to 18 Dec every year. On 17 Dec the Owatari-shiki procession sets off at noon, and the Otabisho-sai rite at the temporary shrine follows from about 14:30.

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Exhibition ¥1,700

Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen

「スタジオジブリ企画制作白隠さんの禅」京都展

17 Dec to 11 Jan Higashiyama Cube, Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 8 min walk

The follow-up to Zen and Ghibli shows paintings and calligraphy by the Zen monk Hakuin Ekaku alongside video that Studio Ghibli made to put his teaching in today's terms. It's closed on Mondays (open on holidays) and from 28 Dec to 2 Jan.

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そらみみ, CC BY-SA 3.0

Exhibition ¥

Nitten Kyoto Exhibition

第119回日展京都展

19 Dec to 16 Jan Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30) Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 8 min walk

Japan's biggest open-entry art exhibition tours to Kyoto with about 500 works in five sections, Japanese-style painting, Western-style painting, sculpture, crafts and calligraphy, including pieces by artists from Kyoto and Shiga. It's closed on Mondays unless they're holidays and from 28 Dec to 2 Jan.

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そらみみ, CC BY-SA 3.0

Festival Free

Year-end Dust Cleaning at Higashi Honganji

お煤払い（東本願寺）

20 Dec Higashi Honganji, Kyoto Station

Time From 9:00 Station Kyoto (JR, Karasuma Line), 7 min walk

Followers from all over Japan line up across the tatami of the Founder's and Amida halls, beat it with split bamboo and fan the dust out with paper fans about 2 m across. Then the head of the temple traces the character for 'long life' on a paper screen with a bamboo pole.

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Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0

Festival Free

Year-end Dust Cleaning at Nishi Honganji

御煤払い（西本願寺）

20 Dec Nishi Honganji, Kyoto Station

Time From about 7:00 Station Nishi Hongwanji-mae bus stop (City Bus 9), 1 min walk

Monks and followers beat the tatami of the Goeido hall with bamboo poles and fan a year's dust out with big paper fans, a cleaning held here for over 500 years, since the time of Rennyo. It starts at about 7:00 and anyone can watch.

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The great wooden halls of Nishi Hongan-ji after a snowfall, with a bronze lantern

xiquinhosilva, CC BY 4.0

Market Free

Shimai-Kobo, the Last Kobo Market of the Year

終い弘法

21 Dec To-ji, Kyoto Station

Time 8:00 to 15:00 Station Toji (Kintetsu Kyoto Line), 10 min walk

The year's last Kobo-san market fills To-ji's grounds with antiques, household goods, old clothes, food and plants, and above all with people buying New Year decorations and lucky charms. Go early.

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Exhibition ¥700

New Year Feature: All About Sheep

新春特集展示ひつじづくし干支を愛でる

22 Dec to 7 Feb Kyoto National Museum, Higashiyama

Time 9:30 to 17:00, Fridays to 20:00 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk

For 2027, the Year of the Sheep, the museum's New Year display gathers sheep in art from its collection, an animal rarely kept in Japan outside Hokkaido, so expect some oddities. A tea utensils feature runs at the same time, the ticket covers every gallery in the Heisei Chishinkan, and it's closed on Mondays (open 11 Jan), from 28 Dec to 1 Jan and on 12 Jan.

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The Meiji era brick facade of the Kyoto National Museum's original building

kajikawa, CC BY 3.0

Market Free

Shimai-Tenjin, the Last Tenjin Market of the Year

終い天神

25 Dec Kitano Tenmangu, Kitano

Time 7:00 to sunset Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus), 1 min walk

The year's last Tenjin-san market at Kitano Tenmangu is busier than any other, with antiques, old tools, secondhand clothes and New Year goods. From 13 Dec to about this day the shrine also offers Obuku-ume, pickled plums for the first tea of New Year's Day.

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z tanuki, CC BY 3.0

Festival Free

Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine

をけら詣り

31 Dec Yasaka Shrine, Gion

Time Purification rite 15:00, New Year's Eve rite 19:00, the fire burns through the night Station Gion bus stop (City Bus 206), 1 min walk

After the New Year's Eve rite, the sacred okera fire burns in lanterns all night, and you light a rope from it and swing it in circles all the way home so it stays lit. People use the flame for the household altar lamp and to cook New Year zoni soup, and the burnt rope is kept in the kitchen as a charm against fire.

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The lantern-hung dance stage of Yasaka Shrine with cherry blossom beside it

underutilized, CC BY-SA 2.0

Festival ¥3,000

New Year's Eve Bell at Chion-in

知恩院除夜の鐘

31 Dec (dates to be confirmed) Chion-in, Gion

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

Seventeen monks pull the ropes of Chion-in's giant bell together to shouted calls, 108 times across midnight on New Year's Eve, and a test ringing is held a few days before (27 Dec in 2025). You can watch but not ring it. In 2025 entry was ¥3,000 (free for primary school children and younger), booked online from 1 Dec or bought at the temple, so check its page in December.

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Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0

Markets and fairs that run every month

Market Free

1000market at Kiyomizu-dera

1000market（サウザンドマーケット）

28th of every month, 9:00 to 16:00 Kiyomizu-dera, Higashiyama

Time 9:00 to 16:00 Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (207)

Kiyomizu-dera's own market on the 28th, the Fudo-son fair day, in the square in front of the gate, which you can walk into without a ticket. It started in April 2022 around traditional crafts, the environment and cutting food waste, and the stallholders are posted on Instagram.

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The main hall of Kiyomizu-dera on its wooden stage above the wooded hillside

ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0

Market Free

Garakuta-ichi at To-ji

ガラクタ市（東寺）

First Sunday of every month To-ji, Kyoto Station

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.

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Market Free

Heian Antique Market (Heian Nomi-no-ichi)

平安蚤の市

About once a month on dates the organiser posts, 9:00 to 16:00 Okazaki Park, in front of Heian Shrine, Okazaki

Time 9:00 to 16:00 Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 10 min walk

More than 100 dealers in antiques and secondhand goods set up in Okazaki Park in front of Heian Shrine. Dates move from month to month and are often weekdays, and rain or storms cancel it, with the call posted the afternoon before.

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The vermilion and green halls of Heian Shrine under a cloudy sky

Manish Prabhune, CC BY 2.0

Market Free

Heian Rakuichi Handmade Market

平安楽市

About once a month on dates the organiser posts, 10:00 to 16:00 Okazaki Park, in front of Heian Shrine, Okazaki

Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 10 min walk

A market of makers' own crafts and snacks in Okazaki Park, about once a month on dates the organiser posts, often on a weekday. In 2026 there was none in September or October, and the August one ran from 16:00 to 20:00.

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Manish Prabhune, CC BY 2.0

Market Free

Hyakumanben Handmade Market at Chion-ji

百万遍さんの手づくり市

15th of every month except August, 8:00 to 16:00 Hyakumanben Chion-ji, Demachiyanagi

Time 8:00 to 16:00 Station Hyakumanben bus stop (City Bus 206), 1 min walk

Makers sell their own crafts, ceramics, clothes and food in Chion-ji's grounds on the 15th of each month. Places are allotted by lottery among applicants, and it runs in the rain.

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Main hall of Hyakumanben Chion-ji with a bronze lantern and pine in the courtyard

Daderot, CC0 1.0

Market Free

Kamigamo Handmade Market

上賀茂手づくり市

4th Sunday of the month, 9:00 to 15:00 Kamigamo Shrine, Demachiyanagi

Time 9:00 to 15:00 Station Kamigamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4)

Stalls line the Nara-no-ogawa stream in Kamigamo Shrine's grounds, and everything is made by the seller, from jewellery, clothes and pottery to vegetables, baked sweets and bread. Check the organiser's dates, since a month with five Sundays can catch people out.

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The Hosoden hall of Kamigamo Shrine with its two sacred sand cones, Kyoto

Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0

Market Free

Tenjin-san Market at Kitano Tenmangu

天神市（北野天満宮）

25th of every month, 7:00 to sunset Kitano Tenmangu, Kitano

Time 7:00 to sunset Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus), 1 min walk

Kitano Tenmangu's market on the 25th, the date tied to Sugawara no Michizane's birth and death, is Kyoto's other big fair alongside To-ji's, strong on antiques, old tools and secondhand clothes. On market days the shrine buildings are lit after dark.

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z tanuki, CC BY 3.0

Market Free

Kobo-ichi Market at To-ji

弘法市（東寺）

21st of every month, about 5:00 to 16:00 (stall hours vary) To-ji, Kyoto Station

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.

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Market Free

Kyoto Antique Fair

京都アンティークフェア

Three times a year (spring, early summer and autumn) over a Friday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00, last day to 16:00 Kyoto Pulse Plaza, Takeda

Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last day to 16:00) Station Takeda (Karasuma Line, Kintetsu Kyoto Line), then the free shuttle bus from west exit 4

Over 300 dealers from all over Japan sell antiques and old art, furniture, paintings, Asian goods and Western antiques under one roof at Pulse Plaza, so the weather doesn't matter. Entry is free, and a free shuttle bus runs from Takeda Station.

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Market Free

Tenjin-ichi Market at Kitano Tenmangu

天神市（北野天満宮）

25th of every month, all day, with the lanterns lit from sunset Kitano Tenmangu, Kitano

Time All day, lanterns lit from sunset Station Kitano-Hakubaicho (Randen Kitano Line), 5 min walk

The 25th is Kitano Tenmangu's monthly fair day, and stalls line the approach all day. From sunset the shrine lights its 350 stone and 250 hanging lanterns, and 25 January and 25 December are the busiest of the year, with about a thousand stalls.

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z tanuki, CC BY 3.0

Market Free

Kobo-san Market at To-ji

弘法市（東寺）

21st of every month, 7:00 to 15:30 To-ji, Kyoto Station

Time 7:00 to 15:30 Station Toji (Kintetsu Kyoto Line), 6 min walk

Over 1,000 stalls fill To-ji on the 21st of every month, Kobo Daishi's memorial day, selling antiques, old tools, secondhand clothes and food to about 200,000 visitors. It runs in the rain, and the January market is Hatsu-Kobo.

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Market Free

Umekoji Park Handmade Market

梅小路公園手づくり市

First Saturday of the month, none in January, May and August, 9:00 to 16:00 Umekoji Park, Kyoto Station

Time 9:00 to 16:00 Station Umekoji-Kyotonishi (JR Sagano Line)

The sister market of the Hyakumanben one, with makers' stalls in Umekoji Park, and unlike at the temple you can bring a dog. It goes ahead in the rain.

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A preserved Kyoto city tram on display in Umekoji Park, Kyoto

Tam0031, CC BY-SA 3.0

Market Free

Umekoji Park Handmade Market

梅小路公園手づくり市

1st Saturday of the month except January, May and August, 9:00 to 16:00 Umekoji Park, Kyoto Station

Time 9:00 to 16:00 Station Umekoji-Kyotonishi (JR Sagano Line), 1 min walk

The sister market of Chion-ji's, run by the same team, sets up in Umekoji Park on the first Saturday of the month, with crafts and food sold by the people who made them. In May it joins the park's Green Fair on 3 and 4 May instead.

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Tam0031, CC BY-SA 3.0

Good to know

What is on in Kyoto in December 2026?

There are 45 events listed for December 2026 (13 exhibitions, 12 illuminations, 8 festivals, 5 gardens, 3 anime and games events, 3 markets and 1 performance). The big dates are Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza (1 to 24 Dec), Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado (7 to 8 Dec), Studio Ghibli Presents Hakuin's Zen (17 Dec to 11 Jan), Nitten Kyoto Exhibition (19 Dec to 16 Jan), Year-end Dust Cleaning at Nishi Honganji (20 Dec) and Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine (31 Dec). 43 have confirmed dates and 2 are annual events whose exact 2026 dates are still to be announced, shown with the usual window. Every listing links to the interactive map.

What festivals are on in Kyoto in December 2026?

8 festivals are listed for December 2026, among them Kan'ei Imperial Procession Re-enactment (400th Anniversary) (6 Dec), Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado (7 to 8 Dec), Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji (13 to 30 Dec), Year-end Dust Cleaning at Nishi Honganji (20 Dec) and Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine (31 Dec).

Are there free events in Kyoto in December 2026?

Yes. 9 of the 45 events listed for December 2026 are free to attend, including Kan'ei Imperial Procession Re-enactment (400th Anniversary) (6 Dec), Year-end Dust Cleaning at Nishi Honganji (20 Dec) and Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine (31 Dec).

Is December a good time to visit Kyoto?

How current is this list?

Dated events are checked against the organiser's own page, and finished events drop off the page on their own. Annual events further out carry their usual dates until the official ones are published.