Hokyo-ji Gardens (the Doll Temple)
This season's opening
Hokyo-ji autumn doll exhibition
- Hours
- 10:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30)
- Admission
- ¥600 adults, ¥300 primary and junior-high pupils (group discount for 20 or more)
- Booking
- No booking
Along with dolls linked to the imperial family, the normally closed main hall opens onto the moss garden with its Ichiboku-hyakuju maple and the Tsurukame garden where Princess Kazunomiya is said to have played. In 2025 the raised Jodan-no-ma room was also shown
The temple notes that arrangements may change. From Nov 10 Myokaku-ji's Hoshi-en garden, about six minutes' walk away, is also open, so the two pair well
About the garden
A convent that generations of imperial princesses entered, known by its palace name, Dodo Gosho. It keeps many dolls that emperors sent to their daughters, hence its nickname, the doll temple, and it is normally closed. Only during the spring and autumn doll exhibitions can you see the moss garden in front of the main hall and the Tsurukame (crane-and-turtle) garden where Princess Kazunomiya is said to have played as a child.
Where to stand
From the main hall, look first at the south garden: a carpet of moss with a Japanese maple called Ichiboku-hyakuju, 'one tree, a hundred trees'. Find where the green of the moss meets the red of the leaves. Inside, compare the sliding doors of autumn grasses attributed to Kano Tan'yu with the real autumn outside (per the city tourism site's 2025 description). Finish at the Tsurukame garden, where Princess Kazunomiya is said to have played; each of you look for the crane and the turtle before comparing notes.
Practical notes
Hokyo-ji, the 'doll temple', is normally closed and opens only for its spring and autumn doll exhibitions. The 2026 autumn show runs Nov 1–20, 10:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30), ¥600; the temple notes that details may change. It is two minutes from the Horikawa-Teranouchi bus stop (city bus 9 or 12), and from Nov 10 you can add Myokaku-ji's moss garden, about six minutes' walk away.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- 2 min walkfrom Myokaku-ji Hoshi-en Garden🍽 FoodSadashichi (stone-milled soba)
A 14-seat soba shop on the same street as Myokaku-ji, grinding its buckwheat in a stone mill and cutting noodles by hand. It is open to 21:30, so a warm bowl works after the evening viewing ends at 20:00. About nine minutes' walk from Hokyo-ji.
Order：The 90% buckwheat soba; choose between a 'Showa Kyoto' broth and a 'Kan'ei' broth recreating the taste from before soy sauce spread
- 2 min walk🍡 SweetsCharon Tawaraya (confectioner's tea room)
A ten-seat tea room run by the Kyoto confectioner Tawaraya Yoshitomi, a short walk east of Hokyo-ji along Teranouchi-dori. Share something warm and sweet after the dolls; no reservations, so you may wait briefly for a seat. About six minutes from Myokaku-ji.
Order：Chestnut zenzai or anmitsu
- 8 min walk🍡 SweetsKyomachiya Sabo Sozen (townhouse tea room)
A 16-seat tea room in a 130-year-old townhouse at the corner of Jofukuji-dori, a walk west along Teranouchi-dori. The sweets put new twists on traditional ones; a calm place to keep talking after the dolls.
Order：Frozen warabi-mochi
11:30–18:00 (last order 17:30)Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays, open on holidays (closed Nov 2, 9, 10, 16 and 17 during the Hokyo-ji exhibition)¥1,000–2,000Details ↗