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

As my boyfriend and I approached Kodaiji Temple, I was confused by the wooden boards of what looked like a couple. When I think of temples, I'm thinking of devout celibacy. Upon reading the temple's history, it all made sense. Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a famous 16th century samurai lord. When he passed away, his wide Kita-no-Mandokoro observed what many female nobilities did during their time and became a priestess. She started and established this temple in his memory. You'll have to trek up a hill and then still climb many stairs while at the temple. The entrance for Kodai-ji is 600 Y per adult. The tour route is linear and does not leave much to deviate. If you are stuck behind some slow people, it might hinder the flow of your visit. At this temple you can visit their stunning garden with a pond, the main hall, and a museum. However, if you had time limitations while visiting Japan, I would prioritize this one lower in the lists.

Admission fee is $300 yen to enter but it is worth it. You get an incense to pray and give to the Gautama Buddha. This is a spiritual place. Behind and inside the Gautama Buddha, there are the other Buddha statues. This place is worth the visit. It is beautiful inside. Kodai-ji is within the old Kyoto historic streets.

Golden!!! The infamous Buddhist Temple in Kyoto so expect it to be tourist-sy. However, the view was beautiful. The gardens are very well maintained. There are lots of shops and street food around especially matcha ice cream! Autumn view is probably the best. The leaves turn red and it just lightens up the entire place.

Located between Yasaka Shrine and Kiyomizudera, Kodai-ji is a beautiful site, especially in the fall for autumn colors/koyo. During the third weekend of November, I went to Kodai-ji with some friends to see the light-up display, which was my first light-up for autumn colors. I arrived at the site around 5pm, and was told to wait in a line, which took about 30 minutes to get to the ticketing area. What is interesting is that I beat the rush. Within 15 minutes, it started getting way packed, and by the time we left, the wait was about 2-3 hours! The light-up, though, was well worth our 30 min wait and ￥600 entrance fee. The green, orange, and red colors that seem to glow in the night are a fantastic sight to behold, and it feels like you are in a magical land or theme park almost. Pictures don't do it justice (also because it is dark, so they get blurry without steady hands or a tripod). There is a route to take that goes through the Zen temples (there is a spot to take off your shoes), passes by a light-up parasol display, followed by a really cool pond that reflects the fall trees beautifully, a walk through the bamboo forest, and a dragon head statue. Be sure to get tickets early (and have a camera with fast shutter speed!)

Perfect location, variety of temples and shrines nearby, and loads of souvenir shopping It's said there are around 1,600 Buddhist temples in Kyoto. Whew! How do you decide which to visit? :) Well, we selected a few based on location and how we could best combine them with surrounding activities. Kodai-ji Temple is a great site to explore, learn about Buddhism, and then head either towards Yasaka Shrine to learn about Shintoism, OR the other direction to get your fill of souvenir shopping (Sannenzaka Ninenzaka) before visiting Kiyomizu-dera Temple, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A fun challenge throughout the nearby streets is to find and touch several Buddhist statues to earn merit. Look for the pink signs. It's fun and educational for both young and adult kids alike!

Kodaiji is one of my favorite temples for 3 reasons. 1. Nice view In Kodaiji there is a hill that has a Shiguretei. This building was established in order to see Osaka for Nene, the wife of Toyotomi-Hideyoshi. Toyotomi-Hideyoshi was the warrior during the 15th century who made the foundation for unifying Japan. Therefore you will have a good view from this Shiguretei. 2. Uniqueness For example, Kodaiji has a dragon head made by Kawara (tile of roofs for traditional house in Japan). I never seen such thing except for Kodaiji. Also, in some season you could enjoy both day and night. The light up of Kodaiji is breath taking during the begining of summer. 3. Sign of love As I mentioned before, Kodaiji was built by Nene, she dedicated this temple for her sadness of losing her be loved husband and the great warrior. You will able to see some elements of how much she loved her husband and was trying her best to see him. The Shiguretei is one of it, as she built it in order to make sure that she will be able to see the castle he built (osaka castle).

Known as a temple established by Kitano Mandokoro, who became a nun after her husband, Hideyoshi Toyotomi passed away, and worshipped the departed soul of him. It has a vast ground consisting of Buddhist halls or gardens. During the autumn leaves viewing season and cherry blossom viewing season, the whole hilly pond gardens are illuminated at night. I heard it was so mysterious and fantastic that it was overcrowded with viewers and there was a long line in front of the wicket. So purchasing tickets during daytime is advisable!! It was a pity that I visited here in early summer. I enjoyed seeing lacquer wares or ornaments and strolling around the precincts with small halls, or tea houses spotted.

I really like the little tiny house in the garden! its so miniature! This place has a neat covered bridge over a pond with rock gardens and picturesque scenery. The little beauty is of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. There is even a sake brewery nearby that only makes the alcohol specifically for this temple as well. During November for a week, this place participates in the "Light Up" tradition where everything is covered with lights after sunset, and consequently stay open later so that you can enjoy a wonderful evening walk through these places in Kyoto. More info here: http://kyototraveler.net/2013/05/25/kyoto-illumination-event-calender/

Came here for the night illumination on the third week of november and it was amazing. My boyfriend and I got here at around 5.45pm and the line was all the way to the bottom of the stairs, but it moved pretty quickly (total wait was about 20 mins). For 600 yen, this was way above my expectation. Plenty of fall foliage, a mini bamboo grove and cool light show. A feast for my camera, that's for sure :)