Chion-in

Temple

Temple · Kyoto, Japan 35.0052°N 135.7834°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Chion-in

Time needed

45 minutes

Cost

Free groundsBoth gardens ticketed

Effort

Steep stone stepsLong flight past the gate

Access

Gentler slopeOnna-zaka to the main hall

Getting there

How to get to Chion-in?

Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line is an 8-minute walk away. From Kyoto Station, the subway route takes the Karasuma line and changes at Karasuma Oike. City Bus 206 runs from Kyoto Station to the Chion-in-mae stop in about 23 minutes, then a 5-minute walk. Keihan Gion-Shijo Station is about 10 minutes away on foot.

Opening hours

What are the opening hours of Chion-in?

Reception opens at 9 am as of October 2026, and gate times differ on some event and memorial days. The temple's homepage gives the times for each day, so check closing hours there before a visit.

Admission

Is Chion-in free to visit?

Yes, the temple grounds are free to enter. The Hojo Garden and Yuzen-en both charge admission. Group rates apply to adults only, for parties of at least 30.

Inside the Sanmon

Can visitors go inside the Sanmon gate?

Only during special openings. In 2026 the upper floor opens from 31 October to 13 November, as part of Kyoto's autumn showing of cultural properties not usually open to view.

New Year bell

When is the Chion-in bell rung?

The great bell is rung on New Year's Eve, with a team of monks striking it together. As of October 2026, a trial ringing is set for 27 December.

From the Sanmon, one of the largest wooden gates in Japan, you climb stone steps to the head temple of Pure Land Buddhism and the hall that holds its founder's image.

What makes it special

The Sanmon stands about 24 metres high and 50 metres wide, two storeys of timber at the foot of the grounds. Its upper floor is normally closed to the public.

At the top of the steps, the Mieido and the Amida-do are both National Treasures. The Mieido houses the image of Hōnen, who founded Pure Land Buddhism.

The Hojo Garden is laid out round the Shinji-ike, the Heart Character Pond, and takes in the Aoi-an teahouse and the Tokugawa Gongendo hall. Its design is attributed to Gyokuen, a monk of the early Edo period.

Yuzen-en is the second garden, a karesansui dry garden set against the green of the Higashiyama hillside.

Visiting

Past the Sanmon, two ways climb to the main hall. The Otoko-zaka is a long flight of steep stone steps, and the Onna-zaka is a gentler slope.

Begin at the Mieido at the top. If the hall is open to visitors when you arrive, carry your shoes in with you in a bag.

The Hojo Garden entrance is on the north-east side of the hall. Each garden has its own ticket; decide at the hall if you have time for both.

The great bell hangs in its own tower, reached by a further climb of steps.

Tips

For a view over the city, take the Shogunzuka trail. It goes uphill on switchbacks and suits anyone in decent shape. Allow about two hours there and back, with half an hour at the top looking south and west across Kyoto.

Shoren-in lies just north of the temple, and from there Yasaka Shrine makes an easy Higashiyama walk to finish on.

Know before you goPhotography, audio and video recording are banned inside the halls. Tripods, monopods and drones are not allowed on the grounds, nor are smoking, open flames, megaphones or pets other than assistance dogs.