Shoren-in
Okazaki, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 17:00
Last entry 16:30.
Source: shorenin.com, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Shoren-in is a Tendai temple whose head priests, until the Meiji era, were nearly all imperial princes or sons of the top regent families, and it feels more like a palace than a monastery. You walk through the tatami halls first, then out into a pond garden credited to Soami that borrows the hill behind it, and the Kirishima garden credited to Kobori Enshu.
More photos of Shoren-in
Insider tip
Entry is ¥600. The huge camphor trees at the gate tell you you've found it. The temple holds evening light-ups, in 2026 from 17 July to 23 August, and posts the dates on its site.
What's on at Shoren-in
Upcoming events at Shoren-in and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Shoren-in Autumn Night Viewing
青蓮院 夜の特別拝観（秋季）
Time 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:30) Station Jingu-michi bus stop (City Bus 5), 5 min walk
Shoren-in's main image is a Buddha wrapped in light, so the whole temple is lit as an artwork, from inside the halls to the pond garden, the bamboo grove and the giant camphor trees. Its hilltop sister site, Shogunzuka Seiryuden, isn't holding a night viewing in 2026.
nichols-villa, CC BY-SA 2.0 Chion-in Autumn Light-up
知恩院 秋のライトアップ2026
Time 17:30 to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
Chion-in lights the Yuzen-en garden, the huge Sanmon gate, the Otoko-zaka steps and the Miedo hall. This year the gallery round the Sanmon's upper floor is open at night too, so you can look out over the city.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 New Year's Eve Bell at Chion-in
知恩院 除夜の鐘
Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
Seventeen monks pull the ropes of Chion-in's giant bell together to shouted calls, 108 times across midnight on New Year's Eve, and a test ringing is held a few days before (27 Dec in 2025). You can watch but not ring it. In 2025 entry was ¥3,000 (free for primary school children and younger), booked online from 1 Dec or bought at the temple, so check its page in December.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Chion-in Spring Light-up
知恩院 春のライトアップ
Time 17:45 to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
The National Treasure Sanmon gate, one of Japan's largest wooden two-storey gates, and the Yuzen-en garden are lit for the cherry season.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Gyoki Daie and Midnight Nembutsu at Chion-in
御忌大会・ミッドナイト念仏in御忌（知恩院）
Time Midnight Nembutsu 20:00 on 18 April to 7:00 on the 19th Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
A week of memorial services for Honen, the temple's most important. On the first night the upper floor of the Sanmon gate opens from 20:00 to 7:00 and anyone can join the all-night chanting, beating a wooden fish drum.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 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 Shoren-in?
- 69-1 Awataguchi Sanjobocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区粟田口三条坊町69-1).
- What are the opening hours of Shoren-in?
- Daily 9:00 to 17:00. Last entry 16:30.
- How do I get to Shoren-in?
- The nearest station is Higashiyama (Tozai Line). Shoren-in is in Okazaki, Kyoto.
- How much does Shoren-in cost?
- Shoren-in is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Shoren-in?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Shoren-in?
- Weekday mornings.
Stay near Shoren-in
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