Kiyomizu-dera
Higashiyama, Kyoto
1 Jul to 31 Aug
- Daily
- 6:00 to 18:30
Rest of the year
- Daily
- 6:00 to 18:00
Open to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) during the night viewings, which change every year. In 2026 they ran 27 March to 5 April and 14 to 16 August and run 21 to 30 November.
Source: kiyomizudera.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Kiyomizu-dera was founded in 778 on Mount Otowa, and its main hall, rebuilt in 1633, juts out over the slope on a wooden stage about 13 metres high. Eighteen zelkova pillars hold it up, and the joints don't use a single nail. The grounds have about 1,500 cherry trees and 1,000 maples, and they've been part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage site since 1994.
More photos of Kiyomizu-dera
Insider tip
The gates open at 6:00, so you can be on the stage long before the day's crowds arrive. Eating and drinking on the grounds isn't allowed, apart from drinks with a lid. The temple stays open to 21:30 for its spring, summer and autumn night viewings. There's an entry fee.
What the guides say about Kiyomizu-dera
2. Kiyomizu-dera at 6:00. Get there when the gates open and you'll be on the wooden stage long before the day's crowds. It's about 13 metres high on eighteen zelkova pillars, and the joints don't use a single nail. City Bus 100 or 206 to Gojozaka leaves you a 10-minute walk away. Afterwards, walk down Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, stone-stepped lanes of late Edo and Taisho townhouses near the Yasaka Pagoda. The Higashiyama guide has more.
11. Go early, because ticket desks close early. Temple and shrine ticket desks often close around 16:00, so don't leave the big ones for late afternoon. Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6:00, and from March to November Ryoan-ji opens at 8:00 and Ginkaku-ji at 8:30 (half an hour later in winter), while Fushimi Inari Taisha, Yasaka Shrine and Kyoto Gyoen never close. The early morning list has more.
This site's Higashiyama is the slope from Kiyomizu-dera down to Shichijo-dori. The temple's gates open at 6:00, so if you're sleeping on the hill you can be on its wooden stage long before the crowds, then walk Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka before the shops open. As in Gion, the tourism association lists long-standing ryokan and luxury hotels.
What's on at Kiyomizu-dera
Upcoming events at Kiyomizu-dera, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
1000market at Kiyomizu-dera
1000market（サウザンドマーケット）
Time 9:00 to 16:00 Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (207)
Kiyomizu-dera's own market on the 28th, the Fudo-son fair day, in the square in front of the gate, which you can walk into without a ticket. It started in April 2022 around traditional crafts, the environment and cutting food waste, and the stallholders are posted on Instagram.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Seiryu-e Blue Dragon Procession at Kiyomizu-dera
青龍会
Time 14:00 to about 15:30 Station Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206), 15 min walk
An 18 m blue dragon, guarded by the Four Heavenly Kings and led by conch-blowing monks, winds from the Okunoin past Otowa Falls, out through the West Gate and the shopping street below, then back up through the Nio Gate to the main hall. The procession began in 2000, and you can watch it from the street outside the gate.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kiyomizu-dera Autumn Night Viewing
清水寺 秋の夜間特別拝観
Time Open to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206), 10 min walk
Kiyomizu-dera stays open until 21:30 while about 1,000 maples below the wooden stage are lit, and a blue beam standing for Kannon's compassion sweeps over the city. You don't need to book.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera
成就院庭園特別拝観
Time Last entry 16:00 (from 10:00), evening 18:00 to 20:30 (last entry) Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 206), 10 min walk
Joju-in, where the monk Gessho and Saigo Takamori are said to have met in secret before the Meiji Restoration, opens its 'Moon Garden', an early Edo garden that borrows Kodaiji-yama hill as its backdrop. It's a national Place of Scenic Beauty, open by day and again in the evening.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Seiryu-e Blue Dragon Procession at Kiyomizu-dera (March)
青龍会（清水寺）
Time About 14:00 to 15:30 Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (City Bus 207)
An 18 m blue dragon leads a procession in ceremonial robes from the Okunoin past the Otowa waterfall and down into the shops of the approach, then back up through the Niomon gate to the main hall. You can watch it free from the street.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Nearby
Around Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera at opening, then the temples and pottery below it
Higashiyama is a whole ward, but this guide covers the slope from Kiyomizu-dera down to Shichijo-dori. Go early. The temple's gates open at 6:00, and if you're there then, you'll reach its wooden stage long before the day's crowds. Later, walk down past the pottery shops of Gojozaka to Sanjusangendo, where 1,001 statues of Kannon stand in a hall 120 metres long.
Higashiyama has 22 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 10 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 2 museums, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 cafe, 1 viewpoint, 1 restaurant and 1 landmark. Read the Higashiyama guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kiyomizu-dera?
- 1-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区清水1丁目294).
- What are the opening hours of Kiyomizu-dera?
- 1 Jul to 31 Aug: Daily 6:00 to 18:30. Rest of the year: Daily 6:00 to 18:00. Open to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) during the night viewings, which change every year. In 2026 they ran 27 March to 5 April and 14 to 16 August and run 21 to 30 November.
- How do I get to Kiyomizu-dera?
- The nearest station is Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (207). Kiyomizu-dera is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Kiyomizu-dera cost?
- Kiyomizu-dera is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kiyomizu-dera?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Kiyomizu-dera?
- Right at opening.
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