Bukko-ji
Shijo-Karasuma, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 15:30
The 7:00 morning service in the Amida Hall is open to anyone.
Source: ja.kyoto.travel, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Bukko-ji is the head temple of the Shinshu Bukkoji school of Pure Land Buddhism, moved to this spot in 1586 on Toyotomi Hideyoshi's orders. Its founder's hall, rebuilt in 1884, is a single-storey wooden hall 26.5 metres wide and 33.1 deep, and the Amida Hall next to it dates from 1904. Since 2014 the grounds have also held D&Department Kyoto, a design shop and gallery with a canteen that cooks with local produce.
Insider tip
The grounds are free and open 9:00 to 15:30. The morning service starts at 7:00 in the Amida Hall and moves to the founder's hall at 7:15, and you can walk in and sit through it. A talk follows in the tea room from 7:45 to 8:15. D&Department posts its own hours on its social accounts.
What's on near Bukko-ji
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Bukko-ji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Gion Matsuri Yoiyama (first procession)
祇園祭 前祭宵山
Time Evenings Station Shijo (Karasuma Line) or Karasuma (Hankyu)
The floats of the first procession stand built in the streets round Shijo-Karasuma, lit by komagata lanterns with Gion-bayashi music played on top. Old townhouses in the float districts open to show their folding screens, and the float associations display their figures and tapestries.
Kyo Odori
京おどり
Time 13:00 and 16:00, about an hour each Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line), 7 min walk
Miyagawacho's spring dances, written new each year, end with every geiko and maiko in the district on stage for the Miyagawa Ondo. Both ticket types include tea.
Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0 Mizue-kai Recital of Miyagawacho
みずゑ會（宮川町）
Time 16:00, plus 13:00 at the weekend Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
Miyagawacho's geiko and maiko show the classical dances they've been practising, and the finale is Miyagawa Kouta, a song of the district through the seasons. Seats were ¥10,000 downstairs and ¥8,000 upstairs in 2026.
Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0 Hatsuka Ebisu Festival
二十日ゑびす大祭
Time Eve 19 Oct from 16:00, main festival 20 Oct from 14:00 Station Shijo-Kawaramachi bus stop (City Bus), 10 min walk
The autumn counterpart of January's Toka Ebisu welcomes the god Ebisu back from the sea, and lucky bamboo branches, charms and talismans for business are handed out. The eve is on 19 Oct from 16:00 and the main festival on 20 Oct from 14:00.
masato_photo, CC BY-SA 2.0 Toka Ebisu at Kyoto Ebisu Shrine
十日ゑびす大祭
Station Shijo-Kawaramachi bus stop (City Bus), 10 min walk
Kyoto Ebisu Shrine's big New Year festival runs from 8 to 12 Jan, and around the 10th you can get lucky bamboo branches for business. In 2026 the shrine stayed open all night on the 9th and 10th.
masato_photo, CC BY-SA 2.0 Nearby
Around Shijo-Karasuma
Kyoto's old bank corner, with kimono streets one block back
Shijo-Karasuma is the crossing where the subway meets the Hankyu line from Osaka, and by 1915 three of the big banks stood on it. It doesn't look much like the Kyoto on the posters. Walk one block west, though, and you're on Muromachi-dori, the old kimono wholesalers' street, near the lanes where the Gion Matsuri floats are built every July.
Shijo-Karasuma has 16 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 4 shops, 3 shrines and temples, 3 cafes, 3 museums, 1 restaurant, 1 bar and 1 neighbourhood. Read the Shijo-Karasuma guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Bukko-ji?
- 397 Shinkaicho, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市下京区高倉通仏光寺下ル新開町397).
- What are the opening hours of Bukko-ji?
- Daily 9:00 to 15:30. The 7:00 morning service in the Amida Hall is open to anyone.
- How do I get to Bukko-ji?
- The nearest station is Shijo (Karasuma Line). Bukko-ji is in Shijo-Karasuma, Kyoto.
- How much does Bukko-ji cost?
- Nothing. Bukko-ji is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Bukko-ji?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Bukko-ji?
- Early morning.
Stay near Bukko-ji
Browse live availability and compare prices around Shijo-Karasuma.
See hotels near Bukko-ji on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 17 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Kyoto earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.