Shinnyo-do
Ginkakuji, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:00
Last entry 15:45. Viewing is limited on some festival days, and the garden is closed on second Sundays except in August and November.
Source: shin-nyo-do.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
A Tendai temple founded in 984, when the priest Kaisan brought an Amida statue down from Mount Hiei. The main hall was rebuilt in 1717 and the three-storey pagoda, about 30 m tall, in 1817. The Nehan garden, laid out in 1988, shows the dying Buddha ringed by his disciples and animals in stones, with white sand for the Ganges and the Higashiyama hills, Mount Hiei and Daimonji behind it.
Insider tip
The grounds are free most of the year, and the main hall and gardens cost ¥500 (¥1,000 during the spring and autumn special viewings). From 18 November to 7 December you also pay ¥500 to enter the grounds, and that's peak maple season, usually mid November to early December. Get off at Kinrin-shako-mae rather than Shinnyodo-mae, since the climb from that stop is steep. Tripods, costumes and sketching aren't allowed.
What's on at Shinnyo-do
Upcoming events at Shinnyo-do and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
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 Kurodani Konkai Komyo-ji Autumn Night Viewing
くろ谷 金戒光明寺 秋の特別公開 夜間拝観
Time 17:30 to 20:30 (last entry 20:00) Station Okazaki-michi bus stop (City Bus 32, 203, 204), 10 min walk
Konkai Komyo-ji lights its Goeido hall and the Shiun garden, where the maples reflect in the pond, shows Ito Jakuchu's rooster screens in the great abbot's hall, and lights next-door Eisho-in too (¥1,600 for both). Koto and shinobue players give 20-minute sets at 17:45, 18:30 and 19:30, included in the ticket.
NORITO,S, CC BY-SA 3.0 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.
Setsubun Festival at Yoshida Shrine
節分祭（吉田神社）
Time Demon-chasing rite on the 2nd, fire festival on the 3rd Station Kyodai-seimon-mae bus stop (City Bus 201, 206)
About 500,000 people come over the three days, and about 800 stalls line the grounds on the 2nd and 3rd. On the 2nd a figure in a golden four-eyed mask chases red, blue and yellow demons round the dance stage in a Heian court rite, and on the 3rd old charms burn in a fire pit 4 m across.
Saigen Jiro, CC0 1.0 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 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 Shinnyo-do?
- 82 Jodoji Shinnyo-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区浄土寺真如町82).
- What are the opening hours of Shinnyo-do?
- Daily 9:00 to 16:00. Last entry 15:45. Viewing is limited on some festival days, and the garden is closed on second Sundays except in August and November.
- How do I get to Shinnyo-do?
- The nearest station is Kinrin-shako-mae bus stop (City Bus 5, 17, 93, 203, 204). Shinnyo-do is in Ginkakuji, Kyoto.
- How much does Shinnyo-do cost?
- Shinnyo-do is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Shinnyo-do?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Shinnyo-do?
- Mid November to early December.
Stay near Shinnyo-do
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