To-ji Temple Night Illumination and Night Viewing

Night Illumination and Night Viewing at To-ji Temple is presented here. To-ji Temple offers night illumination (lighting up) and night viewing during the cherry blossom season in the spring and the fall foliage season in the autumn. To-ji Temple also holds Manto-e and Bon Odori-taikai in August. Gojyu-no-to (five-story pagoda) is illuminated at night throughout the year, and visitors can enjoy the illumination even from outside the temple grounds.

【To-ji Temple Night Illumination and Night Viewing 2023 Schedule】

★Spring Illumination (Cherry Blossoms) : March 18th (Saturday) – April 16th (Sunday), 2023, 18:30 – 21:30. (Registration closes at 21:00)
★Autumn Illumination (Autumn Leaves) : November 1st (Wednesday) – December 10th (Sunday), 2023, 18:00 – 21:30. (Registration closes at 21:00)
★Manto-e and Bon Odori-taikai : August 15th (Tuesday), 2023, 18:00 –

【To-ji Temple Location Map ＆ Directions】

Address: 1 Kujo-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Toji Higashimon-mae bus stop (about 2 minutes on foot), Toji Minamimon-mae bus stop (about 2 minutes on foot), Toji Nishimon-mae bus stop (about 2 minutes on foot), Kintetsu Toji Station (about 10 minutes on foot), JR Kyoto Station Hachijo-Exit (about 15 minutes on foot)

【To-ji Temple Night Illumination and Night Viewing brief overview】

To-ji Temple offers night illumination (lighting up) and night viewing during the cherry blossom season in the spring and the fall foliage season in the autumn. To-ji Temple also holds Manto-e and Bon Odori-taikai in August. Gojyu-no-to (five-story pagoda) is illuminated at night throughout the year, and visitors can enjoy the illumination even from outside the temple grounds.
To-ji Temple is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kyoto, so it is visited by many tourists on a regular basis, but even more tourists visit during the cherry blossom season and the autumn foliage seasons. To-ji Temple is located near JR Kyoto Station, the gateway to Kyoto, and is popular with domestic and international tourists due to its convenient transportation. Incidentally, To-ji Temple holds Kobo-Ichi (Kobo-Ichi Market) on the 21st of every month, and on March 21st and November 21st, visitors may enjoy Kobo-Ichi during the day and the illumination at night. However, depending on the climate of the year, Kobo-Ichi and the illumination period may not occur at the same time.
Kobo-Ichi (Kobo-Ichi Market) was originally held once a year on March 21st, the anniversary of the death of Kobo-daishi Kukai, but since 1239 of the Kamakura period (1185-1333), it has been held monthly. Kobo-Ichi is held from early morning on the 21st of each month until about 16:00. Kobo-Ichi is lined with more than 1,000 stalls selling antiques, second-hand tools, clothes, food, plants, etc.

【Spring Illumination (Cherry Blossoms, 桜) and Night Viewing】

To-ji Temple is one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots in Kyoto. At To-ji Temple, about 200 cherry trees such as Fuji-zakura, Somei-Yoshino, Shidare-zakura, and Kawadu-zakura are planted in the precincts, and the best time to see the cherry blossoms is usually around early April. (The best time to see the cherry blossoms depends on the climate of the year.) To-ji Temple is said to be beautiful with the view of Fujizakura, which is about 13 meters high and about 10 meters branched, and Gojyu-no-to (five-story pagoda), which is about 54.8 meters high.
Fuji-zakura is a double-stemmed red weeping cherry tree of the Edohigan variety that is said to be over 130 years old. Fuji-zakura was once planted in an old house in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, but was moved to a farm in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, in 1994 after passing through Akita Prefecture. Later, in 2006, the year commemorating the 1,200th anniversary of the return of Kobo-daishi Kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, from To (China), it was donated to To-ji Temple by the head of the To-ji Temple community. The name “Fuji-zakura” comes from the teachings of Kobo-daishi Kukai. It is said that Kobo-daishi Kukai, in his search for the “Fuji-no-Homon”, made a supplication to the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple in Nara, and prayed fervently, “Please show me Fuji-no-Homon.
Spring illumination (lighting up) and night viewing (night opening) are held mainly from late March to early April, when the cherry blossoms are at their best. The period is relatively long, about 2 to 3 weeks. Depending on the time of year, visitors may not be able to see the beautiful cherry blossoms illuminated. The illuminated Fuji-zakura float in the darkness, creating a fantastic sight. Spring illumination began in 2011, the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Spring illumination ticket price : Adult and high school student 1,000 yen, Junior high school student and under 500 (as of 2023)
東寺桜ライトアップ (To-ji Temple Spring Illumination)

【Autumn Illumination (Autumn Leaves, 紅葉) and Night Viewing】

To-ji Temple is one of the most popular autumn leaves viewing spots in Kyoto. At To-ji Temple, about 200 maple trees, azaleas, ginkgoes, cherry blossoms, etc. are distributed in the walking garden centered on Hyotan-ike Pond, and the best time to see the autumn leaves is usually from mid-November to late November. (The best time to see the autumn leaves depends on the climate of the year.) At To-ji Temple, the view of Hyotan-ike Pond and the 54.8-meter-high Gojyu-no-to (five-story pagoda) in the autumn leaves is said to be beautiful. Sometimes Gojyu-no-to is reflected in the water mirror of Hyotan-ike Pond.
Hyotan-ike Pond is a famous lotus spot. It is said that Hyotan-ike Pond was dug to stabilize Gojyu-no-to (five-story pagoda) when it tilted due to a major earthquake during the Ansei era (1855-1860), and is considered one of the seven wonders of To-ji Temple.
Autumn illumination (lighting up) and night viewing (night opening) are held from early November to early December, when the fall foliage is at its best. The period is relatively long, about 1 month. Depending on the time of year, visitors may not be able to see the beautiful illumination of the autumn leaves. Hyotan-ike Pond and Gojyu-no-to (five-story pagoda) are decorated with autumn leaves and are very fantastic.
Autumn illumination ticket price : Adult and high school student 1,000 yen, Junior high school student and under 500 (as of 2023)
東寺紅葉ライトアップ (To-ji Temple Autumn Illumination)

【Manto-e and Bon Odori-taikai (万燈会・盆踊り大会)】

Manto-e and Bon Odori-taikai (Bon Dance Festival) are held every year on August 15th. On Manto-e, the spirits of the ancestors are honored in Dainichido, where the statue of Dainichi Nyorai is housed. On Bon Odori-taikai, a Bon Odori dance turret is erected on in the temple grounds, and Bon Odori dance is performed to the music of the Koshu Ondo. Bon Odori-taikai is open to everyone.
Bon Odori is said to be an odori (dance) to commemorate the spirits of the ancestors who returned from the afterlife during Obon (Urabon), and to send the spirits of their ancestors back to the afterlife. It is said that Bon Odori originated in the Heian period (794-1185) when Odori Nenbutsu (dance) started by Kuya-shonin was syncretized with folk customs.

【To-ji Temple brief overview】

To-ji Temple (東寺) was founded in 796 at the request of the 50th Emperor Kanmu, as an official temple for the protection of the nation, along with Sai-ji Temple, to the east of Rajomon Gate, the entrance to Heian-kyo. It is said that To-ji Temple is for the Sakyo (east side) side of Heian-kyo and Sai-ji Temple is for the Ukyo (west side) side of Heian-kyo, or that To-ji Temple is meant to protect Togoku (eastern Japan) and Sai-ji Temple is meant to protect Saigoku (western Japan). After that, in 823, Kobo-daishi Kukai, the founder of the Shingon sect, was given To-ji Temple by the 52nd Emperor Saga, and Kobo-daishi Kukai made Daishido his residence, transforming To-ji Temple into a fundamental center of Shingon esoteric Buddhism.
To-ji Temple (location,history)

【To-ji Temple Night Illumination and Night Viewing remarks】
Always check with the organizer for event information. Information on this site is for reference only. Contents of the event may have changed.
京都紅葉ライトアップ2025