Chion-in
Gion, Kyoto
- Daily
- 6:00 to 16:00
Garden tickets from 9:00. Hojo garden entry until 15:50, Yuzen-en until 16:00. Gate times change on some ceremony days.
Source: chion-in.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Chion-in is the head temple of Jodo Shu, where the founder Honen taught and spent his last years. You walk in through the Sanmon, built in 1621, about 24 metres tall and 50 metres wide under some 70,000 roof tiles, one of the largest wooden gates in Japan. The 70-tonne bell, cast in 1636, rings 108 times on New Year's Eve, swung by a team of 17.
More photos of Chion-in
Insider tip
The grounds are free and open at 6:00. The Hojo garden is ¥400 and Yuzen-en ¥300, or ¥500 for both. The Sanmon's upper floor opens only for special viewings, including 31 October to 13 November 2026 (¥1,000). No photos or recording inside the halls.
What the guides say about Chion-in
6. Gion, early and again at dusk. Yasaka Shrine's grounds never close, and Chion-in, just beyond Maruyama Park, opens its grounds free at 6:00. Come back at dusk for Hanamikoji-dori and the canal at Gion Shirakawa. Don't stop, touch, follow or photograph a geiko or maiko without asking. The district's own rules say so. And stay out of anything that isn't a shop or the road.
9. Walk the east side, and cycle by the rules. For Kiyomizu-dera, the tourism site suggests the Tozai Line to Higashiyama and a walk south past Shoren-in, Chion-in and Maruyama Park. The centre's flat and laid out in a grid, so cycling's easy. Ride on the left, and don't leave the bike on the street. Bikes parked outside designated lots get removed, and it's ¥3,500 to get one back.
What's on at Chion-in
Upcoming events at Chion-in, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening
京都非公開文化財特別公開 知恩院 三門
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.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Chion-in Autumn Light-up
知恩院 秋のライトアップ2026
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.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 New Year's Eve Bell at Chion-in
知恩院 除夜の鐘
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.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Chion-in Spring Light-up
知恩院 春のライトアップ
Time 17:45 to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
The National Treasure Sanmon gate, one of Japan's largest wooden two-storey gates, and the Yuzen-en garden are lit for the cherry season.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Gyoki Daie and Midnight Nembutsu at Chion-in
御忌大会・ミッドナイト念仏in御忌（知恩院）
Time Midnight Nembutsu 20:00 on 18 April to 7:00 on the 19th Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
A week of memorial services for Honen, the temple's most important. On the first night the upper floor of the Sanmon gate opens from 20:00 to 7:00 and anyone can join the all-night chanting, beating a wooden fish drum.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Nearby
Around Gion
The teahouse streets below Yasaka Shrine, best early or at dusk
Gion grew up as the town at the gate of Yasaka Shrine, and it's still where Kyoto's geiko and maiko live and work. Gion Kobu, the largest of the city's five geiko districts, keeps its teahouses along Hanamikoji-dori, and the Shirakawa canal runs through Gion Shinbashi to the north. Go early for the shrine and the temples behind it. Come back at dusk for the streets.
Gion has 25 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 6 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 4 neighbourhoods, 3 cafes, 2 landmarks, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 museum, 1 park or garden and 1 bathhouse. Read the Gion guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Chion-in?
- 400 Rinka-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区林下町400).
- What are the opening hours of Chion-in?
- Daily 6:00 to 16:00. Garden tickets from 9:00. Hojo garden entry until 15:50, Yuzen-en until 16:00. Gate times change on some ceremony days.
- How do I get to Chion-in?
- The nearest station is Higashiyama (Tozai Line). Chion-in is in Gion, Kyoto.
- How much does Chion-in cost?
- Nothing. Chion-in is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Chion-in?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Chion-in?
- Early morning.
Stay near Chion-in
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