Tofuku-ji
Fushimi, Kyoto
14 Nov to 6 Dec
- Daily
- 8:30 to 16:30
7 Dec to 31 Mar
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:00
Rest of the year
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:30
Hours run to the gate closing, with last entry 30 minutes earlier. From 14 November to 6 December the Hojo garden opens at 9:00.
Source: tofukuji.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Tofuku-ji is a Rinzai Zen head temple, built over 19 years from 1236 and named after Nara's two great temples, Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji. From the covered Tsutenkyo bridge you look down into the Sengyokukan valley of maples, and the Hojo is ringed by four gardens Shigemori Mirei made in 1939.
More photos of Tofuku-ji
Insider tip
The grounds are free. Tsutenkyo with the Founder's Hall is ¥600 (¥1,000 from 14 November to 6 December), and the Hojo garden is ¥500, rising to ¥600 on 1 November 2026. In the autumn season it gets very crowded and you may be asked not to take photos on the bridges, so be there when Tsutenkyo opens at 8:30. There's no re-entry once you leave.
What the guides say about Tofuku-ji
9. Komyo-in, then Tofuku-ji. Komyo-in opens at about 7:00, before its parent temple, and its 1939 garden of moss, sand and standing stones by Shigemori Mirei costs ¥500. Tofuku-ji's grounds are free, and the covered Tsutenkyo bridge over a valley of maples is ¥600. Tofukuji Station is on the same JR Nara Line as Inari, so pair the two.
What's on at Tofuku-ji
Upcoming events at Tofuku-ji and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Nehan-e and Sanmon Opening at Tofuku-ji
涅槃会・国宝三門と龍吟庵特別公開（東福寺）
Time 9:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:30) Station Tofukuji (JR Nara Line), about 14 min walk
For the Buddha's death anniversary the main hall hangs Mincho's huge Nirvana painting, about 12 m by 6.5 m, with a life-size cat in it, free to see. The National Treasure Sanmon gate and the Ryogin-an subtemple open the same three days for ¥1,000 each.
Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 Bellflower Viewing at Tentoku-in
桔梗を愛でる特別拝観（天得院）
Time 9:00 to 16:00 (gate closes 16:30) Station Tofukuji (JR Nara Line, Keihan)
This Tofuku-ji subtemple opens while Chinese bellflowers flower in its Momoyama-period dry garden, purple and white against cedar moss, and you can frame them through the cusped window. Matcha and a sweet are ¥1,000 extra.
Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 Kamamoto Momiji Matsuri Pottery Fair
第32回 東福寺～泉涌寺 窯元もみじまつり（窯元大陶器市）
Time 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29 Nov, 10:00 to 16:30 Station Sennyuji-michi bus stop (City Bus 202, 207, 208), 5 min walk
The Kiyomizu-ware kilns between Tofuku-ji and Sennyu-ji sell work by potters and artists at 30 to 70 percent below shop prices over five autumn days, rain or shine. There's a stamp rally and sake tasting, and ¥10,000 vouchers buy ¥11,000 worth.
Nearby
Around Fushimi
Torii tunnels at dawn, then sake by the old castle moat
Fushimi is two trips in one. In the north, about 10,000 torii line the paths up Mount Inari behind Fushimi Inari Taisha, and the grounds never close, so you can walk them at dawn. Five stops south on the Keihan line, about 20 breweries still make sake in the old river port, and you can taste most of them in one alley.
Fushimi has 21 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 8 shrines and temples, 4 restaurants, 2 shops, 2 landmarks, 1 bar, 1 neighbourhood, 1 cafe, 1 museum and 1 bathhouse. Read the Fushimi guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Tofuku-ji?
- 15-778 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区本町15丁目778).
- What are the opening hours of Tofuku-ji?
- 14 Nov to 6 Dec: Daily 8:30 to 16:30. 7 Dec to 31 Mar: Daily 9:00 to 16:00. Rest of the year: Daily 9:00 to 16:30. Hours run to the gate closing, with last entry 30 minutes earlier. From 14 November to 6 December the Hojo garden opens at 9:00.
- How do I get to Tofuku-ji?
- The nearest station is Tofukuji (JR Nara Line, Keihan). Tofuku-ji is in Fushimi, Kyoto.
- How much does Tofuku-ji cost?
- Tofuku-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Tofuku-ji?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Tofuku-ji?
- Mid November to early December, at opening.
Stay near Tofuku-ji
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