Juko-in Hyakuseki Garden (Daitoku-ji)
This season's opening
Juko-in 460th Anniversary Special Opening
- Hours
- 9:30–15:30 last entry. Closed Sep 27–28, Oct 14, 16–18, 27–28, Nov 21–22, 27–29 (more closures possible).
- Admission
- ¥1,000; ¥500 school-age children (cash only). Preschool children not admitted.
- Booking
- No bookingNo booking for individuals; groups of 15+ must book.
The normally closed temple shows the Hyakuseki garden (national Scenic Place), replicas of the Kano Eitoku and Shoei panels, the main hall and the Kan'in-seki and Masudoko-seki tea rooms (Important Cultural Properties), and Hiroshi Senju's Waterfall doors.
No photography anywhere. Other Daitoku-ji openings start at 10:00, so begin here at 9:30 and you can fit two or three temples into a morning. Check the many closed days first.
About the garden
The family temple of Sen no Rikyu, where the three main tea schools keep their family graves. Hyakuseki-no-niwa, the nationally designated garden in front of the abbot's hall and attributed to Rikyu, is a quiet line of stones crossing moss. The 2026 opening marks the temple's 460th year and includes its tea rooms.
Where to stand
Sit on the veranda and follow the line of stones through the moss from one end to the other; check together whether the gaps between them are even, and you start seeing how each stone was placed. Behind you, the main hall holds replicas of the national-treasure panels by Kano Eitoku and his father Shoei. The Kan'in-seki tea room, donated for Rikyu's 150th memorial, is a three-mat room kept deliberately dim.
Practical notes
No photography anywhere on the grounds; cash only; preschool children are not admitted. Autumn 2026 runs Sep 18–Dec 6, 9:30–15:30 last entry, ¥1,000, with many closed days (Oct 14, 16–18, 27–28; Nov 21–22, 27–29). The Kano Eitoku panels on view are replicas.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- 3 min walkfrom Obai-in Gardens (Daitoku-ji)🍽 FoodIzusen Daiji-in (temple cuisine)
Buddhist vegetarian cooking served in a sub-temple inside the Daitoku-ji precinct, so lunch happens without leaving the temple grounds.
Order：The lightest course (Ayame, ¥4,500) is plenty
- 5 min walkfrom Korin-in Hojo Garden (Daitoku-ji)☕ CafeKoro-an Chaho (tea house)
A tatami tea room serving Uji tea from its own fields. You whisk your own matcha or brew sencha, which makes it easy to talk after a silent morning of gardens.
Order：The make-your-own matcha set
- 11 min walkfrom Obai-in Gardens (Daitoku-ji)☕ CafeKissa Hisui (Showa-era coffee house)
A 100-seat coffee house open since 1961 at the Kitaoji-Horikawa corner: roomy enough to sit and plan the rest of the day after two or three temples.