To-ji Garden (Hyotan Pond)
This season's opening
To-ji autumn illumination and night viewing of the Kondo and Kodo
- Hours
- 18:00–21:30 (last entry 21:00); open every day of the period
- Admission
- ¥1,000 (junior high and under ¥500); no group discount or combined ticket
- Booking
- No booking
Illuminated grounds plus the Kondo and Kodo halls at night. The lit pagoda and maples reflect in the gourd-shaped pond, and in the Kodo you can walk all the way round the statue mandala, including its normally hidden north side
A separate ticket from daytime entry. Over the same dates the pagoda's ground floor is open by day (¥1,200 with the Kondo and Kodo), so you could see inside the tower by day and its reflection by night.
About the garden
To-ji's five-storey pagoda, 55 metres tall, is the highest wooden tower in Japan, and just north of it lies a gourd-shaped pond garden. It is inside the Kondo and Kodo precinct, and during the autumn night viewing the lit pagoda and the maples fall into the water together.
Where to stand
Enter at the Kondo/Kodo gate and walk round to the north side of the pagoda to reach the pond. From the north bank, facing south, there is a spot where the whole pagoda hangs upside down in the water. Walk the edge together and find where even the finial fits in. At night the tower glows, and the stiller the air, the sharper the mirror.
Practical notes
The pond garden lies inside the paid Kondo/Kodo precinct (¥800, or ¥1,200 while the pagoda's ground floor is open from 31 Oct to 13 Dec 2026); there is no garden-only ticket. The autumn night viewing (18:00–21:30, last entry 21:00, ¥1,000) is a separate ticket with no combined or group discounts. It is 10 minutes from Kintetsu Toji Station or about 15 minutes on foot from Kyoto Station.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- ☾ Open after the evening viewing5 min walk🍽 FoodKamoshabu Sora (duck hot pot)
A townhouse by To-ji's east gate serving duck swished in house broth. It is non-smoking with private rooms, a calm place to sit face to face before or after the illuminations.
Order：Duck shabu-shabu
11:30–15:00, 17:00–22:00 (last order 21:30)Closed: No regular closing day (open daily)¥4,000–5,000 in the evening (bookable)Details ↗ - ☾ Open after the evening viewing5 min walk🍽 FoodTeppan Sakaba Hiroshi
A 20-seat griddle bar by the east gate, open until 23:00, so you can walk over after the 21:30 closing. Smoking allowed.
Order：The signature wagyu hamburg steak
- 3 min walk🍡 SweetsAun tea stall (inside To-ji)
A tea stall inside the To-ji grounds with benches outside. If you walk To-ji by day before the night viewing, rest here.
Order：Matcha-mix soft serve or zenzai (sweet bean soup)
9:00–16:30Closed: No closing day listed (Tabelog shows it open daily, 9:00–16:30)Under ¥1,000Details ↗