Kyoto · North Kyoto (Yase)

Ruriko-in (Ruri Garden)

Ruriko-in (Komyo-ji Kyoto branch)

Moss gardenPond garden (viewed from a hall)

This season's opening

Special opening…

Autumn special opening

Thu 1 Oct – Sun 13 Dec

Hours: 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Open every day during the period
Admission: ¥2,000 (¥1,000 for secondary students with ID)
Booking: Booking required
Advance booking by lottery only for Nov 13–Dec 6; other days need no booking. See the PDF on the official site for how to apply

What opens

A temple that opens only in spring, summer and autumn: maples reflected in the lacquered tables upstairs, and the moss Ruri garden seen from the ground floor

Before you go

From Oct 1 to Nov 12 and from Dec 7 to 13 you can walk in without booking. Tripods, monopods, photo sessions and unapproved commercial shoots are banned. No parking and no tour groups

Official announcement ↗Checked: 2026-09-23

About the garden

Maples fill the second-floor windows of the shoin and reflect in the lacquered table below. The buildings were a private villa from the late 1920s, and the temple opens only in spring, summer and autumn. The reflection is famous; give the window seat more time than the photograph.

Where to stand

Upstairs, kneel just in front of the table and bring your eyes down close to its surface; the reflection is deepest there. Downstairs, look at the Ruri garden from the side: a single stream curves through the moss, and it reads as a different garden from the one you saw from above.

Practical notes

Open only for set periods each spring, summer and autumn. In the autumn peak (roughly mid-November to early December) entry is by advance online booking and slots go quickly; summer needs no booking and gives the same green view. Many stairs, no parking. Eizan line to Yase-Hieizanguchi.

Tea and food nearby

Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.

🍽 Food
Yase Heihachi (eel and noodles)
3 min walk
A small eatery right by Ruriko-in, with live eels in a tank at the door. Close enough for lunch while you wait for your booked slot or straight after your visit.
Order：Eel, or a bowl of noodles
11:00–15:00 (also 18:00–22:00 Thu–Sat)
Closed: Wednesdays
¥1,000–3,000
Details ↗
☕ Cafe
Coffee Stand Hijiri (Yase-Hieizanguchi)
6 min walk
A coffee stand in front of Yase-Hieizanguchi station on the Eizan line. It serves drinks made with red shiso from Ohara; have one on the terrace while you wait for the train back.
Order：Red shiso drink, or drip coffee
9:00–16:00 (closed for winter from mid-January to mid-March, per the official site)
Closed: May close at New Year and in bad weather (official site)
Under ¥1,000
Details ↗