What's on in Kyoto

Kyoto events in November 2026

59 events in November 2026: 17 exhibitions, 17 illuminations, 7 gardens, 7 festivals, 5 markets, 3 anime and games events and 3 performances, from headline festivals to neighbourhood fairs. 1 of them are annual events whose 2026 dates are still to be confirmed, listed with their usual window.

Autumn colour peaks around the middle of the month and is past its best by the end, and some temples and shrines open in the evening for light-ups. With the cherry blossom, it's the busiest season of the year, so book a room early. More on the season in Autumn colour in Kyoto.

Map

The big dates in November 2026

Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine 1 Nov · Imperial Palace
Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri 7 to 8 Nov · Arashiyama
Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening 10 Nov to 10 Dec · Ichijoji
Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up 13 to 29 Nov · Kyoto Station
Chion-in Autumn Light-up 17 Nov to 6 Dec · Gion
Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening 20 Nov to 6 Dec · Ginkakuji

Day by day

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

Sun 1 Nov: Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine · Gion Odori · Saga Chrysanthemum Exhibition at Daikaku-ji · Ginkaku-ji Autumn Special Opening of the Togudo and 28 more
Mon 2 Nov: Autumn Secondhand Book Fair at Chion-ji · Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival · Gion Odori · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening and 26 more
Tue 3 Nov: Autumn Secondhand Book Fair at Chion-ji · Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival · Gion Odori · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening and 26 more
Wed 4 Nov: Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival · Gion Odori · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening · The 78th Annual Exhibition of Shosoin Treasures and 25 more
Thu 5 Nov: Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival · Gion Odori · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening · The 78th Annual Exhibition of Shosoin Treasures and 25 more
Fri 6 Nov: Heian Rakuichi Handmade Market (November) · Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival · Gion Odori · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening and 26 more
Sat 7 Nov: Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri · Deer Antler Cutting in Nara · Shinsen-en Dainenbutsu Kyogen · Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) and 32 more
Sun 8 Nov: Hitaki-sai Fire Festival at Fushimi Inari · Kanikakuni-sai Tea Gathering in Gion · Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri · Deer Antler Cutting in Nara and 33 more
Mon 9 Nov: Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) · Gion Odori · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening · The 78th Annual Exhibition of Shosoin Treasures and 26 more
Tue 10 Nov: Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening · Gion Odori · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up and 25 more
Wed 11 Nov: Eikan-do Autumn Treasure Exhibition · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up · Chishaku-in Night Viewing and 25 more
Thu 12 Nov: Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up · Eikan-do Autumn Treasure Exhibition and 26 more
Fri 13 Nov: Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up · Kurodani Konkai Komyo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital · Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening and 28 more
Sat 14 Nov: Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital · Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up · Kurodani Konkai Komyo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 27 more
Sun 15 Nov: Ryoma Festival · Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital · Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up and 28 more
Mon 16 Nov: Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital · Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up · Kurodani Konkai Komyo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 26 more
Tue 17 Nov: Chion-in Autumn Light-up · Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital · Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up and 27 more
Wed 18 Nov: Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital · Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up · Chion-in Autumn Light-up and 27 more
Thu 19 Nov: Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up · Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up · Chion-in Autumn Light-up · Kurodani Konkai Komyo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 26 more
Fri 20 Nov: Nihon Bonsai Taikan-ten (Japan Bonsai Exhibition) · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing · Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening · Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up and 29 more
Sat 21 Nov: Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing · Nihon Bonsai Taikan-ten (Japan Bonsai Exhibition) and 32 more
Sun 22 Nov: Nihon Bonsai Taikan-ten (Japan Bonsai Exhibition) · Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing and 32 more
Mon 23 Nov: Nihon Bonsai Taikan-ten (Japan Bonsai Exhibition) · Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing and 32 more
Tue 24 Nov: Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 31 more
Wed 25 Nov: Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 30 more
Thu 26 Nov: Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 30 more
Fri 27 Nov: Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 30 more
Sat 28 Nov: Mori no Tezukuri-ichi Craft Market at Shimogamo Shrine (November) · Kyoto State Guest House Autumn Evening Opening · The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai · Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair and 33 more
Sun 29 Nov: Mori no Tezukuri-ichi Craft Market at Shimogamo Shrine (November) · Kyoto State Guest House Autumn Evening Opening · Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera and 33 more
Mon 30 Nov: Kyoto State Guest House Autumn Evening Opening · Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera · Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing · Daigo-ji Autumn Night Viewing and 29 more

Dated events in November

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Kan'ei: Beauty Nurtured by Peace

特別展「寛永太平がはぐくむ美」

19 Sept to 15 Nov 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

Marking 400 years since Emperor Go-Mizunoo's visit to Nijo Castle, the museum shows the Kan'ei culture of Hon'ami Koetsu, Tawaraya Sotatsu and Nonomura Ninsei, with scrolls and screens of the imperial procession and a Kano Sanraku hawk painting from Nijo Castle. It's closed on Mondays (open 12 Oct) and 13 Oct, and the ticket covers the permanent galleries too.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0

Illumination On now ¥1,500

Arashiyama Tsukitouro Bamboo Light-up

嵐山月灯路 Arashiyama Bamboo Light-up

30 Sept to 8 Nov Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Arashiyama

Time 18:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:40) Station Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line), 10 min walk

Bamboo lanterns, some made by local residents in workshops, line the Bamboo Grove path and about 1 km of lit walkways. At the gate it's ¥1,500 in cash, online tickets with guaranteed entry cost ¥2,000, and children 12 and under go free.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The walking path through the tall green stalks of the Arashiyama bamboo grove

dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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).

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

そらみみ, CC BY-SA 3.0

Exhibition On now ¥2,200

The Tale of Genji: Radiance of the Heian Court

特別展源氏物語王朝のかがやき

6 Oct to 29 Nov Kyoto National Museum, Higashiyama

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

The Kyoto National Museum's first Tale of Genji exhibition in about 50 years shows paintings, crafts, manuscripts and commentaries, about 250 works across its Kyoto and Tokyo runs, including the Aobyoshi-bon text edited by Fujiwara no Teika and the scattered 'phantom' Moriyasu Genji scroll. The display changes on 3 Nov, and the museum is closed on Mondays (open 12 Oct and 23 Nov), 13 Oct and 24 Nov.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

kajikawa, CC BY 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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

m-louis ., CC BY-SA 2.0

Illumination On now ¥750

Kyoto City Zoo Autumn Night Opening

京都市動物園秋の夜間開園

10 Oct to 7 Nov Kyoto City Zoo, Okazaki

Time 10 to 12, 17, 24 and 31 Oct and 7 Nov, open to 20:00 (last entry 19:30) Station Keage (Tozai Line), 7 min walk

On seven autumn days the zoo stays open until 20:00 and is lit after dark, with keeper talks at 17:30, 18:00 and 18:30 and an outdoor film at 19:00 from 12 Oct. Entry is the usual ¥750, free for junior high school students and younger, and gorillas, monkeys and some birds aren't on show at night.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The entrance building of Kyoto City Zoo with its lettering, Okazaki, Kyoto

inunami, CC BY 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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Exhibition Starts in 12 days ¥2,000

The 78th Annual Exhibition of Shosoin Treasures

第78回正倉院展

24 Oct to 9 Nov Nara National Museum, Nara

Time 8:00 to 18:00, to 20:00 on Fridays, weekends and holidays Station Kintetsu-Nara (Kintetsu Nara Line), 15 min walk

Each autumn the museum shows treasures from the Shosoin, the storehouse of Emperor Shomu's belongings, and this year there are 60 pieces, 11 never shown before, including a lacquered ewer listed in the Kokka Chinpo-cho and a white glass bottle made around Iran. Entry is by timed ticket, so book ahead, though any slots left are sold at the museum on the day.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Market Free

Autumn Secondhand Book Fair at Chion-ji

第50回秋の古本まつり（百万遍知恩寺）

30 Oct to 3 Nov Hyakumanben Chion-ji, Demachiyanagi

Time 10:00 to 17:00 (first day opens after the memorial) Station Hyakumanben bus stop (City Bus 206), 1 min walk

About 200,000 secondhand books fill Chion-ji's grounds for five days, with an auction and a corner of complete sets. On the first morning, before the stalls open, there's a memorial service for old books with the temple's giant rosary.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Daderot, CC0 1.0

Market Free

Kyoto Antique Fair (Autumn)

第96回京都アンティークフェア

30 Oct to 1 Nov Kyoto Pulse Plaza, Takeda

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

More than 300 dealers from across Japan fill Pulse Plaza with antiques and old art, furniture, paintings, Asian goods and Western antiques, at what the organiser bills as western Japan's biggest antiques fair. It's indoors and free, and a free shuttle bus runs from exit 4 of Takeda Station.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Exhibition ¥1,000

Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening

京都非公開文化財特別公開知恩院三門

31 Oct to 13 Nov Chion-in, Gion

Time 9:00 to 16:00 (entry) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk

Chion-in's Sanmon, the giant gate built in 1621 on the orders of the second Tokugawa shogun, opens to visitors as part of the Kyoto Non-public Cultural Properties Special Opening, which this autumn covers 32 sites across Kyoto Prefecture. Each site costs ¥1,000.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The huge wooden main hall of Chion-in across its stone-paved courtyard

Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

z tanuki, CC BY 3.0

Exhibition ¥3,000 to ¥5,000

Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival

京都モダン建築祭

31 Oct to 8 Nov About 150 buildings across Kyoto, Kyoto Station

Time Passport days 31 Oct and 1 Nov 10:00 to 19:00, 7 and 8 Nov 10:00 to 17:00 (hours vary by building) Station Kyoto (JR, Karasuma Line)

In its fifth year about 150 modern buildings take part, and on 31 Oct and 1 Nov and on 7 and 8 Nov a passport lets you walk into 61 that are usually closed or hard to visit, from houses, banks, schools and churches to a National Treasure. From 26 Oct a half pass is ¥3,000 and a full pass ¥5,000, sold online or for cash at the Kyoto General Tourist Information Center in Kyoto Station.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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).

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Garden ¥800

Saga Chrysanthemum Exhibition at Daikaku-ji

嵯峨菊展

1 to 30 Nov Daikaku-ji, Arashiyama

Time 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Daikakuji bus stop (City Bus 28, 91)

Saga-giku, a chrysanthemum that once grew wild on Kikugashima island in Osawa Pond, is shown round Daikaku-ji all month. Entry is ¥800 including the halls, and the Osawa Pond area costs extra.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

m-louis ., CC BY-SA 2.0

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Reginald Pentinio, CC BY 2.0

Performance ¥6,000

Gion Odori

第67回祇園をどり

1 to 10 Nov Gion Kaikan, Gion

Time 13:30 and 16:00, about 1 hour Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), exit 7, 5 min walk

Gion Higashi's is the only one of the geisha districts' odori dance shows held in autumn, a medley of nagauta and kiyomoto pieces that ends with the whole district on stage for Gion Higashi Kouta. Tickets are ¥6,000, or ¥7,000 with a tea ceremony seat, and children under 3 aren't admitted.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Festival Free

Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine

亥子祭

1 Nov Goo Shrine, Imperial Palace

Time From 17:00 Station Marutamachi (Karasuma Line), 6 min walk

Goo Shrine, guarded by stone boars, re-creates a Heian court custom in which inoko rice cakes are pounded and carried to the Imperial Palace by a procession in court dress, then shared with visitors back at the shrine. You can join the procession in a boar-crested jacket for an offering of ¥1,000 or more on the day.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The stone torii and main hall of Goo Shrine on Karasuma-dori, Kyoto

Brakeet, CC0 1.0

Festival Free

Ojuya Nembutsu Services at Shinnyo-do

お十夜（十日十夜別事念仏会）

5 to 15 Nov (dates to be confirmed) Shinnyo-do, Ginkakuji

Time 15 Nov: procession 14:00, closing service 17:00 Station Kinrin Shako-mae bus stop (City Bus 5)

For ten nights the main Amida statue is unveiled and a white cord tied to its hand runs out to a post in front of the hall, and touching the cord is said to carry your wish straight to the Buddha. On the last day, 15 Nov, there's a procession of children and monks at 14:00, close-up viewing of the statue from 9:00 and free azuki bean porridge.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The main hall of Shinnyo-do in Kyoto behind its gravel courtyard and stone lantern

KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0

Market Free

Heian Rakuichi Handmade Market (November)

平安楽市

6 Nov 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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Festival Free

Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri

嵐山もみじ祭り

7 to 8 Nov Oi River above Togetsukyo Bridge, Arashiyama

Time 11:30 to 17:00 Station Arashiyama (Randen), 2 min walk

Boats on the river above Togetsukyo Bridge re-create the boating parties of Heian nobles, with imayo songs, court music and dance on the water and the banks. It's called off if it rains.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The wooden Togetsukyo bridge across the river with the Arashiyama hills behind

Antonio Campoy, CC BY 2.0

Exhibition ¥3,500

Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK)

Art Collaboration Kyoto（ACK）

7 to 9 Nov Kyoto International Conference Center, Takaragaike

Time 7 and 8 Nov 12:00 to 19:00, 9 Nov 11:00 to 17:00 Station Kokusaikaikan (Karasuma Line)

Kyoto's contemporary art fair brings 63 galleries from Japan and abroad to the Kyoto International Conference Center, with Japanese galleries hosting overseas ones as guests in their booths. Day tickets are ¥3,500 (¥3,000 in advance to 6 Nov), and last entry is an hour before closing.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0

Illumination Free

Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up

貴船神社紅葉ライトアップ

7 to 24 Nov Kifune Shrine, Kibune

Time Sunset to 20:30 Station Kibune bus stop (Kyoto Bus 33), 5 min walk

The main approach to Kifune Shrine is lit through the maple season, from sunset to 20:30, and it's free. The amulet office stays open until 20:00.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Festival ¥1,000

Deer Antler Cutting in Nara

古式「鹿の角きり」

7 to 8 Nov Rokuen deer enclosure, Kasuga Taisha, Nara

Time 11:45 to 15:00 (doors 11:15, last entry 14:30) Station Kasuga Taisha Omotesando bus stop (Nara city loop bus), 7 min walk

Men waving red flags drive stags with full antlers into the ring, where the antlers are cut off and offered at Kasuga Taisha, a custom kept for about 350 years. It's standing room only, tickets are sold on the day (children ¥500), and it's called off in bad weather.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Performance Free

Shinsen-en Dainenbutsu Kyogen

神泉苑大念佛狂言

7 to 8 Nov Shinsen-en, Nijo

Time 13:00 to about 17:30 Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk

The local kyogen society, performing since 1903, puts on five or six silent masked plays a day to gongs, drums and flutes on the stage by Shinsen-en's pond, and the programme is chosen on the day. Tsuchigumo, where the spider throws its threads over the audience, is the favourite. Entry is by donation, the seats are outdoors and you can't take photos during the plays.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The pond of Shinsen-en garden with its vermilion boat pavilion

Jason Riedy, CC BY 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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

nichols-villa, CC BY-SA 2.0

Festival Free

Hitaki-sai Fire Festival at Fushimi Inari

火焚祭

8 Nov Fushimi Inari Taisha, Fushimi

Time Rite from 13:00, kagura in the evening Station Inari (JR Nara Line), 1 min walk

After the rite in the main hall, priests burn well over 100,000 prayer sticks sent from all over Japan on three fires in the shrine garden while the purification prayer is chanted. In the evening the old court kagura dance is performed to gagaku in front of the main hall.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The tunnel of vermilion torii gates on the Senbon Torii path at Fushimi Inari

Thomas CUELHO, CC BY 2.0

Festival ¥3,000

Kanikakuni-sai Tea Gathering in Gion

かにかくに祭

8 Nov Kanikakuni stone, Gion Shirakawa, Gion

Time 11:00 to 15:30, seatings every 30 minutes (last entry 15:00) Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), 10 min walk

Gion Kobu remembers the poet Yoshii Isamu at his stone by the Shirakawa stream, where white chrysanthemums are laid each year, and you can book a seat at the tea served by geiko and maiko. Each group gets one photo with them, and it goes ahead in rain.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

A weeping cherry in bloom in front of a wooden teahouse along the Shirakawa in Gion

mrhayata, 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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0

Performance ¥10,000

Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital

上七軒寿会

12 to 18 Nov Kamishichiken Kaburenjo, Kitano

Time 16:00 (doors 15:30) Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae or Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50), 3 min walk

Kamishichiken, which grew from seven teahouses at Kitano Tenmangu's gate, holds its annual recital at the Kaburenjo, a programme of nagauta dances by its geiko and maiko. Tickets are ¥10,000, and children under school age aren't admitted.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

A Kamishichiken teahouse entrance with a lantern bearing the district's plum crest

mrhayata, CC BY-SA 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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

NORITO,S, CC BY-SA 3.0

Illumination ¥600

Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up

梅小路公園紅葉まつり（ライトアップ）

13 to 29 Nov Suzaku Garden, Umekoji Park, Kyoto Station

Time 17:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30) Station Umekoji-Kyotonishi (JR Sagano Line), 1 min walk

Umekoji Park lights the maples and pines of its Suzaku Garden, where a still pond mirrors the trees and one path runs under leaves you can almost touch. Tickets are ¥600, ¥100 less with a same-day stub from the aquarium, the railway museum or VIVA SQUARE KYOTO, and it's closed on 16 and 24 Nov.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Tam0031, CC BY-SA 3.0

Festival Free

Ryoma Festival

龍馬祭

15 Nov Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine, Higashiyama

Time 15:30 Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 86, 206), 7 min walk

On the anniversary of Sakamoto Ryoma's death, fans gather at his grave above Higashiyama, and shamo chicken hotpot, the dish he was about to eat the night he was killed, is offered and shared with visitors. The festival is free, but the grave area costs ¥300.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The worship hall of Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine behind its gravel courtyard and stone lanterns, wooded hillside above

Oilstreet, CC BY 2.5

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Exhibition ¥1,500

Nihon Bonsai Taikan-ten (Japan Bonsai Exhibition)

第46回日本盆栽大観展

20 to 23 Nov Miyako Messe, Okazaki

Time 9:00 to 16:30 (16:00 on the last day) Station Okazaki Koen Bijutsukan Heian-jingu-mae bus stop (City Bus 5)

Bonsai and suiseki viewing stones sent in by growers from all over Japan fill Miyako Messe for the 46th Taikan-ten. Primary school children and younger get in free, and the sales corner shuts at 15:00 on the last day.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Market Free

Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair

第32回東福寺～泉涌寺窯元もみじまつり（窯元大陶器市）

21 to 29 Nov Kilns between Tofuku-ji and Sennyu-ji, Fushimi

Time 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29 Nov, 10:00 to 16:30 Station Sennyuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 202, 207, 208), 5 min walk

The Kiyomizu-ware kilns between Tofuku-ji and Sennyu-ji sell work by potters and artists at 30 to 70 percent below shop prices over five autumn days, rain or shine. There's a stamp rally and sake tasting, and ¥10,000 vouchers buy ¥11,000 worth.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Illumination ¥500

Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing

清水寺秋の夜間特別拝観

21 to 30 Nov Kiyomizu-dera, Higashiyama

Time Open to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206), 10 min walk

Kiyomizu-dera stays open until 21:30 while about 1,000 maples below the wooden stage are lit, and a blue beam standing for Kannon's compassion sweeps over the city. You don't need to book.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0

Garden ¥600

Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera

成就院庭園特別拝観

21 to 30 Nov Joju-in, Kiyomizu-dera, Higashiyama

Time Last entry 16:00 (from 10:00), evening 18:00 to 20:30 (last entry) Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 206), 10 min walk

Joju-in, where the monk Gessho and Saigo Takamori are said to have met in secret before the Meiji Restoration, opens its 'Moon Garden', an early Edo garden that borrows Kodaiji-yama hill as its backdrop. It's a national Place of Scenic Beauty, open by day and again in the evening.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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

Market Free

Mori no Tezukuri-ichi Craft Market at Shimogamo Shrine (November)

森の手づくり市～秋の特別編2026～

28 to 29 Nov Shimogamo Shrine, Demachiyanagi

Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Shimogamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 205)

Craft stalls selling accessories, woodwork, leather, ceramics, cloth goods and sweets line Shimogamo Shrine's approach and the Tadasu no Mori forest over two days, with food trucks and acoustic sets. It goes ahead in rain unless Kyoto has a storm warning.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

The vermilion two-storey gate of Shimogamo Shrine

Appie Verschoor, 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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

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.

See on the map Hotels nearby Official site

Tam0031, CC BY-SA 3.0

Good to know

What is on in Kyoto in November 2026?

There are 59 events listed for November 2026 (17 exhibitions, 17 illuminations, 7 gardens, 7 festivals, 5 markets, 3 anime and games events and 3 performances). The big dates are Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine (1 Nov), Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri (7 to 8 Nov), Enko-ji Autumn Leaves Opening (10 Nov to 10 Dec), Umekoji Park Autumn Leaves Light-up (13 to 29 Nov), Chion-in Autumn Light-up (17 Nov to 6 Dec) and Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening (20 Nov to 6 Dec). 58 have confirmed dates and 1 is an annual event 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 November 2026?

7 festivals are listed for November 2026, among them Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine (1 Nov), Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri (7 to 8 Nov), Deer Antler Cutting in Nara (7 to 8 Nov), Kanikakuni-sai Tea Gathering in Gion (8 Nov) and Ryoma Festival (15 Nov).

Are there free events in Kyoto in November 2026?

Yes. 12 of the 59 events listed for November 2026 are free to attend, including Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine (1 Nov), Kifune Shrine Autumn Light-up (7 to 24 Nov) and Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri (7 to 8 Nov).

Is November 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.