Reikan-ji
Ginkakuji, Kyoto
Source: kyoto-connect.co.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
A convent temple founded in 1654 for Princess Tari-no-miya, daughter of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, and headed by imperial princesses for generations. Go-Mizunoo loved camellias, and the garden holds more than 100 kinds, including the Nikko camellia, a Kyoto City natural monument. The shoin, moved here from Emperor Gosai's palace, keeps paintings of birds and flowers of the four seasons attributed to the Kano school.
Insider tip
It's normally closed and opens only for special viewings. In spring 2026 it opened from 20 March to 12 April for ¥800, with guides taking you through the shoin and showing the main hall, which you see from outside. Late in the season the fallen flowers lie on the moss, and the temple counts that as part of the view.
What's on at Reikan-ji
Upcoming events at Reikan-ji and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
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 Honen-in Spring Opening
春季 伽藍内特別公開（法然院）
Time 9:30 to 16:00 Station Kinrin-shako-mae bus stop (City Bus 5)
The temple's buildings, normally closed, open for a week in spring (and again in autumn), when the three famous camellias in the inner garden are out.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Pumpkin Memorial at Anraku-ji
鹿ケ谷カボチャ供養（安楽寺）
Time 9:00 to 15:00 Station Kinrinshako-mae bus stop (City Bus 5), 7 min walk
For about 230 years this small temple near the Philosopher's Path has served simmered Shishigatani pumpkin on 25 July, from a revelation that eating it in midsummer keeps strokes away. Entry is ¥1,000 that day with the pumpkin included, the temple's scrolls are on show, and Kyoto vegetables are sold at the gate.
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.
Ojuya Nembutsu Services at Shinnyo-do
お十夜（十日十夜別事念仏会）
Time 15 Nov: procession 14:00, closing service 17:00 Station Kinrin Shako-mae bus stop (City Bus 5)
For ten nights the main Amida statue is unveiled and a white cord tied to its hand runs out to a post in front of the hall, and touching the cord is said to carry your wish straight to the Buddha. On the last day, 15 Nov, there's a procession of children and monks at 14:00, close-up viewing of the statue from 9:00 and free azuki bean porridge.
KENPEI, CC BY-SA 3.0 Nearby
Around Ginkakuji
Temple gardens along a canal path, under the Daimonji hill
Get to Ginkaku-ji for its 8:30 opening, because the temple fills up as the day goes on. Then walk south on the Philosopher's Path, about 1.8 km of stone path beside a branch of the Lake Biwa Canal, and turn off it for the temples on either side. Honen-in's grounds open at 6:00, and you don't pay to go in.
Ginkakuji has 15 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 7 shrines and temples, 2 museums, 2 restaurants, 1 viewpoint, 1 shop, 1 neighbourhood and 1 bathhouse. Read the Ginkakuji guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Reikan-ji?
- 12 Shishigatani Goshonodan-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区鹿ヶ谷御所ノ段町12).
- How do I get to Reikan-ji?
- The nearest station is Kinrin-shako-mae bus stop (City Bus 5). Reikan-ji is in Ginkakuji, Kyoto.
- How much does Reikan-ji cost?
- Reikan-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Reikan-ji?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Reikan-ji?
- Late March to mid April.
Stay near Reikan-ji
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