Temple

Adashino Nenbutsu-ji

Arashiyama, Kyoto

Address
17 Saga-Toriimoto Adashino-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 〒616-8436 京都市右京区嵯峨鳥居本化野町17
Hours

1 Dec to 29 Feb

Daily
9:00 to 15:30

Rest of the year

Daily
9:00 to 16:30

The times shown are for entry, and the gate closes up to 30 minutes after the last entry. Closed on days with a storm warning, snow or ice.

Source: nenbutsuji.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.

Rows of small stone Buddhas and a stone pagoda at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji in Sagano, Kyoto
Photo: Zairon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Adashino was a burial ground from the Heian period on, and in the middle of the Meiji era local people gathered up the stone markers scattered across its hills. About 8,000 of them now stand in rows in the temple's Sai no Kawara enclosure, facing a seated Amida and a 13-tier pagoda. At the back of the grounds, steps climb through a grove of moso bamboo.

Nearest station Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line)
Cost ¥
Time needed 45 min
Best time Weekday mornings

Insider tip

Entry is ¥500, or ¥400 for junior high and high school students. You can't take photos inside the Sai no Kawara walls. On the last Saturday and Sunday of August, candles are lit among the stones for Sento Kuyo, with entry from 17:30 to 20:30.

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What's on at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji

Upcoming events at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.

Festival

Sento Kuyo Candle Service at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji

千灯供養（化野念仏寺）

28 to 29 Aug (dates to be confirmed) Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, Arashiyama

Time 17:30 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30), sutras from 18:00 Station Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line)

On the last weekend of August, candles are lit at dusk among the temple's stone Buddhas and stupas, which local people gathered from the old Adashino burial ground in the Meiji era, for the souls nobody remembers. Sutras start at 18:00, and lanterns line the old Atago road outside on the same evenings.

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Official site
Rows of small stone Buddhas and a stone pagoda at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji in Sagano, Kyoto Zairon, CC BY 4.0

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Nearby

Saga-Toriimoto Preserved Street Neighbourhood · 3 min walk Saga-Toriimoto grew up as both the gateway town for pilgrims heading to Atago Shrine and a farming village, and the road still shows both. Ayu Chaya Hiranoya Cafe · 3 min walk Hiranoya has stood at the foot of Atago Shrine's first torii for about 400 years, dealing in sweetfish from the Hozu River and serving tea to... Gio-ji Temple · 5 min walk Gio-ji is a small thatched nunnery hidden in bamboo and maples, with a story straight out of The Tale of the Heike. Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple · 7 min walk About 1,200 stone rakan crowd the hillside at Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, at the top end of the Saga-Toriimoto road, each with its own expression. Nison-in Temple · 8 min walk Nison-in is named for its two main images, a Shaka who sends souls off and an Amida who welcomes them, a gilded pair carved in the mid-Kamakura... Jojakko-ji Temple · 11 min walk Jojakko-ji climbs the lower slope of Mount Ogura in flights of stone steps under the maples.

Around Arashiyama

Bamboo at first light, then the maple temples under Mount Ogura

Arashiyama is on Kyoto's north-western edge, where Togetsukyo Bridge crosses the Oi River with wooded hills right behind it. You'll want the bridge, Tenryu-ji and the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, and so will everyone else. Go early. Then walk north into Sagano. Its temples line the foot of Mount Ogura, and it's quieter at the far end, which Kyoto's official tourism site calls Okusaga.

Arashiyama has 30 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 14 shrines and temples, 4 landmarks, 3 parks and gardens, 2 restaurants, 2 bathhouses, 1 cafe, 1 museum, 1 viewpoint, 1 shop and 1 neighbourhood. Read the Arashiyama guide.

Good to know

What is the address of Adashino Nenbutsu-ji?
17 Saga-Toriimoto Adashino-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市右京区嵯峨鳥居本化野町17).
What are the opening hours of Adashino Nenbutsu-ji?
1 Dec to 29 Feb: Daily 9:00 to 15:30. Rest of the year: Daily 9:00 to 16:30. The times shown are for entry, and the gate closes up to 30 minutes after the last entry. Closed on days with a storm warning, snow or ice.
How do I get to Adashino Nenbutsu-ji?
The nearest station is Saga-Arashiyama (JR Sagano Line). Adashino Nenbutsu-ji is in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
How much does Adashino Nenbutsu-ji cost?
Adashino Nenbutsu-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
How long do you need at Adashino Nenbutsu-ji?
Plan for 45 min.
When is the best time to visit Adashino Nenbutsu-ji?
Weekday mornings.

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