Kyusho-in Hojo Garden (Kennin-ji)
This season's opening
Kyoto Non-public Cultural Properties viewing
- Hours
- Entry 9:00–16:00
- Admission
- ¥1,000 adults, ¥500 secondary students
- Booking
- No booking
The Hojo and its garden, a statue of the founding abbot Sanko Shoeki, the Takamatsu-ken study hall, the Enshu Betsugonomi no Seki tea room and a painting of the Battle of Nagashino by Ukita Ikkei
Separate ticket from Kennin-ji's main halls. From Nov 21 you can combine it with Shoden-eigen-in in the same precinct
About the garden
One of the sub-temples inside the Kennin-ji precinct, founded in 1608 by Okudaira Nobumasa, a retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Normally closed, it opens in the autumn cultural-properties programme: a pond garden in front of the Hojo with the Higashiyama hills behind, the Takamatsu-ken study hall, and a tea room called Enshu Betsugonomi no Seki.
Where to stand
Sit at the edge of the Hojo and find where the Higashiyama ridge enters the view beyond the pond. If you have just seen the white-gravel gardens of Kennin-ji's main halls, the contrast with this garden of water and borrowed hills is striking. In the Takamatsu-ken study and the tea room, look at the same garden again from inside and notice how the distance changes.
Practical notes
Kyusho-in is inside the Kennin-ji precinct but has its own ticket (¥1,000) and opens only Nov 13–30, 2026 (entry 9:00–16:00) as part of the Kyoto Non-public Cultural Properties programme. No booking. Combine it with Kennin-ji's main gardens and with Shoden-eigen-in, which opens from Nov 21.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- 5 min walkfrom Kennin-ji Gardens☕ CafeGion Ishi tea room
A tea room upstairs from a stone shop on Shijo-dori. The lift takes you away from the street noise to a sepia-toned room where you can talk over the gardens.
Order：Lemon jelly
11:30–19:00 (last order 18:30)Closed: Wednesdays and Thursdays (open alternate Thursdays)¥1,000–2,000Details ↗ - 7 min walkfrom Kennin-ji Gardens☕ CafeKiritoshi Shinshindo (kissaten)
A 13-seat coffee shop in a Gion side street since 1946. It opens at 10:00, a good meeting point before a round of the Kennin-ji sub-temples.
Order：Ham toast sandwich