Eikan-do
Okazaki, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 17:00
Last entry 16:00. From 20 November to 6 December 2026 an evening light-up runs 17:30 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30) on a separate ticket.
Source: eikando.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Eikan-do, formally Zenrin-ji, has been a temple for more than 1,100 years and still goes by its old nickname, Eikan-do of the maples. Its main image is the Mikaeri Amida, a Buddha who turns his head to look back, and its grounds fill up with visitors for the leaves in late November.
More photos of Eikan-do
Insider tip
Entry is ¥1,000 most of the year. During the autumn treasure exhibition, 11 November to 6 December 2026, it's ¥1,500, and the evening light-up from 20 November is a separate ¥1,000 ticket. There are no advance tickets, and tripods aren't allowed.
What the guides say about Eikan-do
26. Autumn colour. Tofuku-ji is at its best from mid-November to early December, when Tsutenkyo opens at 8:30 and costs ¥1,000. Be there then. Eikan-do lights its maples in the evening, 20 November to 6 December in 2026, and Kiyomizu-dera stays open until 21:30 from 21 to 30 November. The trees in Kyoto Gyoen turn from late November to mid-December. The autumn leaves collection lists more.
13. Check the rules before you take a photo. You can't take photos inside Chion-in's halls or Nijo Castle's palaces, and Kinkaku-ji asks you not to post yours publicly. Tripods aren't allowed at Eikan-do and several other temples. Kiyomizu-dera doesn't allow food or drink except drinks with a lid, and Fushimi Inari asks you to eat only in its rest areas and not to stop for photos where the paths narrow.
What's on at Eikan-do
Upcoming events at Eikan-do and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Eikan-do Autumn Treasure Exhibition
永観堂 秋の寺宝展
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.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 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
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.
Reikan-ji Autumn Special Opening
霊鑑寺 秋の特別拝観
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.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Kyoto City Zoo Autumn Night Opening
京都市動物園 秋の夜間開園
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.
inunami, CC BY 2.0 Nearby
Around Okazaki
Art museums, Meiji gardens and Nanzen-ji along the Lake Biwa Canal
Okazaki is Kyoto's museum quarter. Two art museums sit either side of the approach to Heian Shrine, by its giant torii, and the zoo, a crafts museum and ROHM Theatre Kyoto are a few minutes away round Okazaki Park. Follow the Lake Biwa Canal east and you're at Nanzen-ji, with Eikan-do and Murin-an a short walk from its gate.
Okazaki has 27 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 9 shrines and temples, 6 museums, 4 restaurants, 2 cafes, 2 shops, 2 landmarks and 2 parks and gardens. Read the Okazaki guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Eikan-do?
- 48 Eikandocho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区永観堂町48).
- What are the opening hours of Eikan-do?
- Daily 9:00 to 17:00. Last entry 16:00. From 20 November to 6 December 2026 an evening light-up runs 17:30 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30) on a separate ticket.
- How do I get to Eikan-do?
- The nearest station is Nanzenji Eikando-michi bus stop (City Bus 5). Eikan-do is in Okazaki, Kyoto.
- How much does Eikan-do cost?
- Eikan-do is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Eikan-do?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Eikan-do?
- Late November.
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