Daikaku-ji
Arashiyama, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 17:00
Last entry 16:30. Open every day, but some halls close for temple events.
Source: daikakuji.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Emperor Saga built a detached palace here in the early 800s, and it became a temple in 876, headed by emperors and imperial princes until the start of the Meiji era. Beside the halls lies Osawa Pond, which the temple calls the oldest surviving garden pond in Japan. It's also the home of the Saga Goryu school of ikebana, which traces itself to Emperor Saga arranging wild chrysanthemums picked on the pond's island.
Insider tip
The halls cost ¥800 and the Osawa Pond area another ¥500, on separate tickets. You can copy the Heart Sutra here, with sign-up until 15:30. No photos inside the halls, and no tripods in the hall area.
What's on at Daikaku-ji
Upcoming events at Daikaku-ji and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
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
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.
m-louis ., CC BY-SA 2.0 Saga Chrysanthemum Exhibition at Daikaku-ji
嵯峨菊展
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.
m-louis ., CC BY-SA 2.0 Yoi-kobo Okuribi at Daikaku-ji
宵弘法（大覚寺）
Time 17:30 to 20:00 (last entry 19:30) Station Daikakuji bus stop (City Bus 28, 91), 1 min walk
Daikaku-ji sends the ancestors back with its own Saga okuribi, a service on the shore of Osawa pond at 19:00 after a short ceremony in the Godai-do. Evening entry is ¥500, separate from a daytime visit.
m-louis ., CC BY-SA 2.0 Kangetsu no Yube Moon Viewing at Daikaku-ji
観月の夕べ（大覚寺）
Time 17:30 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30) Station Daikakuji bus stop (City Bus 28, 91), 1 min walk
Around the harvest moon, boats with dragon and waterbird prows take you out on Osawa pond, counted among Japan's three great moon-viewing spots, to see the moon in the sky and in the water as Emperor Saga's court did. The boat and matcha ticket (¥7,000 in 2026) is applied for in advance, and evening entry to the pond was ¥700.
m-louis ., CC BY-SA 2.0 Saga Otaimatsu Fire Festival at Seiryo-ji
涅槃会とお松明式（清凉寺）
Time Kyogen from 15:30, torches about 20:00 Station Saga-Shakado-mae bus stop (City Bus 28), 2 min walk
Three giant torches are lit in front of the main hall around 20:00 to recall the Buddha's cremation. Before that, from 15:30, you can watch Saga Dainembutsu Kyogen, one of Kyoto's three nembutsu kyogen, masked plays without words, for free.
Mti, CC BY-SA 3.0 Nearby
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 Daikaku-ji?
- 4 Saga-Osawa-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都府京都市右京区嵯峨大沢町4).
- What are the opening hours of Daikaku-ji?
- Daily 9:00 to 17:00. Last entry 16:30. Open every day, but some halls close for temple events.
- How do I get to Daikaku-ji?
- The nearest station is Daikakuji bus stop (City Bus 28, Kyoto Bus 94). Daikaku-ji is in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Daikaku-ji cost?
- Daikaku-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Daikaku-ji?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Daikaku-ji?
- Weekday mornings.
Stay near Daikaku-ji
Browse live availability and compare prices around Arashiyama.
See hotels near Daikaku-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.