Kodai-ji Garden
This season's opening
Autumn evening illumination
- Hours
- Lights on at 17:00, gates close 22:00 (last entry 21:30). Open straight through from 9:00
- Admission
- ¥800 adults, ¥400 secondary students (same day and night)
- Booking
- No booking
The garden attributed to Kobori Enshu is softly lit, and a projection-mapping show plays on the forecourt of the Hojo
There is no day/night changeover, but once you leave by the exit your ticket is used up, so you can go in late afternoon and wait for the lights. Entoku-in next door also opens in the evenings over the same dates (closed 11–12 Dec), and its evening fee list includes the ¥1,200 two-temple ticket.
About the garden
Built by Hideyoshi's widow Nene. During spring and autumn evening openings the pond mirrors the maples or weeping cherry. The obvious start for a Kyoto night out.
Where to stand
The covered corridor Garyo-ro is the spine of the garden. Reflections in the pond are clearest late in the evening, when the wind drops.
Practical notes
Evening illuminations (roughly Mar–May, Aug, Oct–Dec) are the reason to come; check dates. The projection-mapping show in the rock garden divides opinion.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- ☾ Open after the evening viewing7 min walkfrom Kennin-ji Gardens🍽 FoodGion Okaru (udon)
An udon shop in a Gion lane since 1925. At night it stays open into the small hours and fills with people who work in Gion, which makes it an easy late supper after an evening viewing.
Order：Ankake udon, or the cheese-and-beef curry udon
11:00–15:00, 17:00–2:00 (Fri until 2:30, Sat until 3:00). Sunday lunch onlyClosed: Sunday evenings¥1,000–2,000Details ↗ - ☾ Open after the evening viewing10 min walkfrom Jojuin Garden at Kiyomizu-dera (the Moon Garden)🍶 BarKohaku bar (Park Hyatt Kyoto)
A 16-seat counter bar in the hotel above Ninen-zaka, looking out over Yasaka Pagoda and the city. It serves until midnight after the evening sessions at Jojuin or Kodai-ji, and being a hotel bar it stays quiet enough to talk.
Order：A cocktail with the house gin made with Kyoto's Ki No Bi distillery
- 2 min walk🍡 SweetsMugesanbo Salon de Muge
A sweets salon at Kodai-ji's north gate run by the kaiseki house Kikunoi. Take a garden-view seat for a slightly extravagant break between temples.
Order：Matcha parfait