Kōdaiji Temple

I have a wonderful experience here. It's definitely worth to visit. The garden is great and it also has a small bamboo forest. The ticket is 600Y (4$). I visited there on 1 August 2025. This temple is not too crowded. So, chill!

Beautiful temple with a more beautiful zen garden surrounding it. It has a small bamboo grove too so in case you don't have time to visit Arashiyama, you can visit this site instead.

One of the most well-organized and peaceful temples I’ve visited — with surprisingly few tourists around, making it a truly serene experience. There are a few interactive attractions too, like using flash photography to reveal hidden images, which adds a fun twist to the visit. For goshuin collectors, you’ll be happy to know there are three different stamps available across the grounds (though do note they are pre-written, not handwritten directly into your book). Definitely worth a visit for both tranquility in!

Absolutely amazing experience visiting this ancient temple. It’s a long meandering walk through beautiful historic streets to get to the top - an hour of easy climbing. Plenty of delicious food along the way - desserts, icecream, cafes. The shrine is beautiful and very serene nestled amidst the mountains which are lush green giving the entire ambience a mystical feel. When it rains - it’s even prettier

There was major construction work being carried out, which detracted from the overall experience. It's beautiful and serene like so many places in Kyoto, but many of them are free to enter. We visited at 2 pm, during Golden Week, and whilst the neighbouring streets are crammed full with people, I guess the 600 yen entry fee puts people off, as it was very quiet here. The bamboo forest is tiny but lovely, and it's easy to get some great photos and feel relaxed. The entry ticket gave us access to a very small and underwhelming museum.

Very pretty temple! My photos do not do it justice. (I have better pictures on my camera). Even though there was construction going on (like at many other shrines/temples right now), there was a lot to explore! We also visited during Tanabata / Star Festival so it was nice to participate and put our own tanzaku on the bamboo branches on the temple grounds. I also liked the bamboo forest there! It’s small but still beautiful. Sadly I don’t have a picture of it on my phone though.

Unfortunately, there was ongoing renovation when we visited, so it didn’t offer the full experience it should have. If you’re visiting while the renovation is still happening, I think you can skip it — for the time and money, there are better options in Kyoto. Otherwise, I would definitely consider it.

An excellent temple to visit in the morning. The temple is very wonderful, vibrant and has astonishing beauty to it. The price is 800 yen but it is worth it. You can also visit the bamboo forest near by. While in winter it is still quite pretty to view. The gardens are also very nice to visit too. Recommend going early as the temple opens around 8:45 am, to avoid major crowds