Tenryu-ji Temple
A Zen temple from 1339 around a pond garden, Japan's first Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
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Tenryu-ji Temple
SaveA Zen temple from 1339 around a pond garden, Japan's first Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
The pond takes in the mountain across the river, and the north gate opens straight onto the bamboo grove.
MoreWhat kind of place
Tenryu-ji is a Zen temple founded in 1339 to pray for the late Emperor Go-Daigo, and by 1345 it ranked first among Kyoto's five great Zen temples.
The money for the building work came from reopening trade with China, and the ships sent on those voyages are still known as the Tenryu-ji ships.
Fire took the buildings eight times over the centuries, and a later government land order cut the grounds to a tenth of their old size, about 24 acres (30,000 tsubo).
Even so, the pond garden still holds the shape that the temple's first abbot, Muso Soseki, gave it some 700 years ago.
Sources and evidence (19)
- It was founded in 1339 by the shogun Ashikaga Takauji, with the monk Muso Soseki as its first abbot, to pray for the soul of Emperor Go-Daigo.source
- To raise the money for building it, trade with Yuan China was reopened and the profits were put toward the work, which was the beginning of the Tenryu-ji ships.source
- The temple was completed in 1345 and placed first among Kyoto's five great Zen temples.source
- It went through eight major fires, the last when the halls burned in the fighting of the Hamaguri Gate Incident in 1864.source
- A land requisition order took away most of the temple's land, and the grounds today are 30,000 tsubo (about 24 acres), a tenth of what they once were.source
- The Sogenchi garden still keeps the look Muso Soseki gave it about 700 years ago, and it was the first place in Japan to be designated both a Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty.source
- It is a stroll garden that circles the Sogenchi pond, and it also borrows the scenery of Mount Arashiyama across the Oi River and Mount Kameyama to the west of the garden.source
- Straight across the pond from the abbot's hall stand two huge upright stones forming the Dragon Gate Falls, and beside them sits an unusual carp stone showing a carp partway through turning into a dragon.source
- The cloud dragon on the ceiling of the Dharma Hall was painted in 1997 by the artist Kayama Matazo.source
- The main image in the Great Abbot's Hall is a seated Shaka Nyorai from the late Heian period, an Important Cultural Property and the oldest statue at the temple, having survived all eight fires.source
- The Tahoden is a memorial hall enshrining an image of Emperor Go-Daigo, built in 1934.source
- In 1346 Muso Soseki named ten scenic spots as the Ten Views of Tenryu-ji, among them the Sogenchi pond, the Togetsukyo Bridge and the Ryumontei.source
- Shigetsu, on the grounds, is the temple's own restaurant serving shojin vegetarian cuisine.source
- Shigetsu seats up to 250 people.source
- The shojin meals use no animal ingredients at all, built instead around vegetables, mountain greens, wild plants and seaweed.source
- Shigetsu is listed in the Michelin Guide Kyoto-Osaka 2026 with a Bib Gourmand and a Michelin Green Star.source
- The garden restroom is outdoors, and it has one changing table inside the large accessible stall (reported by visitors in June 2020 and February 2021).source
- There are two restrooms on the grounds and one of them has a multipurpose stall, with no ostomate facilities, as checked on site by our team on November 14, 2021.source
- There is one vending machine, next to the counter that sells charms and amulets, and you can have a drink in that spot. We have no record of the rule on bringing your own food and drink in.source
With kidsThe part that matters
The paths here are gravel, which sounds rough for a stroller, but families have pushed one around the pond garden without much trouble.
From the abbot's hall you look straight across the pond at the Dragon Gate Falls, a waterfall made of two tall upright stones, with a carp-shaped stone beside it for the kids to find as you walk the loop.
There is one changing table on the grounds, inside the multipurpose restroom at the garden, and one vending machine for drinks.
A short slope and a few shallow steps mean carrying the stroller in a couple of places on the way to the north gate, but go out that way and you come out on the bamboo grove path.
Sources and evidence (4)
- She has done this walk on foot and by stroller many times; bikes with child seats, and the temple's shojin ryori meal.source
- The approach is uneven; the halls have steps; you cannot exit toward the bamboo grove and must come back the same way.source
- Tatami seating for 28 at Pan to Espresso to, no bookings. Nursing room and changing table at Randen Arashiyama 3F.source
- In autumn the garden gate alone opens at 7:30 (north gate 8:30). About ten people queued 15 min early on a weekday.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The path around Sogen Pond has no steps, and although the grounds are gravel, families who came with a 1-year-8-month-old in November 2021 and a 1-year-7-month-old in September 2022 recorded that pushing a stroller was no trouble. You can carry a baby right around the pond, which borrows Arashiyama across the Oi River into its view.There is one diaper changing table, inside the multipurpose restroom of the garden restroom block (an outdoor restroom). The grounds have two restroom blocks in total, one of them with a multipurpose restroom. When you enter the main halls or the Dharma Hall you leave the stroller at the entrance (they are held at your own risk, so take valuables in with you). On the path from the Hyakkaen garden to the north gate (toward the Bamboo Grove) there are slight slopes and gently graded steps, and visitors had to carry the stroller in places.
- Ages 2-3The path around Sogen Pond is step-free, so a small child can walk the whole loop of this stroll garden. Beside the waterfall stands an unusual carp stone, showing a carp halfway through turning into a dragon. Go out the north gate and you are on the Bamboo Grove path.Garden admission is free for preschoolers. Inside the main hall there are places with steps, but not many, and a visiting family recorded carrying their child around. The approach from the main gate is gravel with a stone-paved strip down the middle. The garden is open 8:30-17:00 (last entry 16:50).
- Ages 4-6The ceiling of the Dharma Hall carries the Cloud Dragon painting, made in 1997 by the painter Kayama Matazo, for children to look up and find. Straight ahead of Sogen Pond as seen from the abbot's hall is the Dragon Gate Waterfall, built from two great upright stones. On the second Sunday of every month a one-hour zazen sitting starts at 9:00 a.m. at Yuunan, open to the public, free, and with no reservation.The Cloud Dragon in the Dharma Hall is shown only on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays (with daily-viewing periods in spring and autumn). It costs 500 yen per person on top of the normal admission, 9:00-16:30 (last entry 16:20). Photography is not allowed inside the Dharma Hall. The halls (Great Abbot's Hall, Shoin, Tahoden) cost 300 yen more than garden admission, and events close them on some days. Garden admission is 500 yen for high school age and up, 300 yen for elementary and junior high students, and free for preschoolers.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe heart of the visit is outdoors: the strolling pond garden around Sogenchi and the Hyakkaen path. The halls (Ohojo, Shoin, and Tahoden) are indoors and cost 300 yen on top of the garden admission.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed1.5 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：none
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (3)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Lost-child support
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
First-hand
She has done this walk on foot and by stroller many times; bikes with child seats, and the temple's shojin ryori meal.
Arashiyama with Kids
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
The approach is uneven; the halls have steps; you cannot exit toward the bamboo grove and must come back the same way.
Wheelchair sightseeing guide to central Arashiyama: barrier-free information
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Tatami seating for 28 at Pan to Espresso to, no bookings. Nursing room and changing table at Randen Arashiyama 3F.
Arashiyama with kids: lunches and cafes with private rooms or tatami seating
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
In autumn the garden gate alone opens at 7:30 (north gate 8:30). About ten people queued 15 min early on a weekday.
Tenryu-ji in autumn: go at the early-morning opening to dodge the crowds
Tenryu-ji Temple · Links & reads ▾
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Where to go next
With a baby (0–1)
- Arashiyama Bamboo GroveBamboo pathStroller friendly5 min walkA 400-meter path walled on both sides by tended bamboo, from a shrine to a villa.
- Kyoto Railway MuseumRailway museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.2 kmOne of the few railway museums in Japan that runs a steam locomotive every day.
- Kyoto AquariumAquariumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.4 kmAn aquarium that recreates a Kyoto river and the sea, with a rice paddy indoors.
- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)Temple gardenStroller friendlyFamily restroom5.7 kmA Zen temple, properly Rokuonji, whose garden keeps its 600-year-old form.
- Nijo-jo CastleWorld Heritage castle you walk insideStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table6.7 kmBuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603, the only Japanese castle that still keeps its palace.
- Kyoto Ramen KojiRamen restaurant streetStroller friendlyElevator8.4 kmTen ramen shops from Hokkaido to Fukuoka, on the 10th floor of Kyoto Station.
With a toddler (2–3)
- Kyoto Tower SandoFood hall & souvenir marketDiaper changing tableFamily restroom8.4 kmA shopping complex connected to Kyoto Station, filled with Kyoto sweet and tea shops.
- Arashiyama GyateiKyoto home-style set meals5 min walkA restaurant serving Kyoto home-style obanzai for about thirty years, with eighty seats.
- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)Temple gardenStroller friendlyFamily restroom5.7 kmA Zen temple, properly Rokuonji, whose garden keeps its 600-year-old form.
For a meal
For sights
- Arashiyama Bamboo GroveBamboo pathStroller friendly5 min walkA 400-meter path walled on both sides by tended bamboo, from a shrine to a villa.
- Kyoto Railway MuseumRailway museumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.2 kmOne of the few railway museums in Japan that runs a steam locomotive every day.
- Kyoto AquariumAquariumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table7.4 kmAn aquarium that recreates a Kyoto river and the sea, with a rice paddy indoors.
- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)Temple gardenStroller friendlyFamily restroom5.7 kmA Zen temple, properly Rokuonji, whose garden keeps its 600-year-old form.
- Nijo-jo CastleWorld Heritage castle you walk insideStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table6.7 kmBuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603, the only Japanese castle that still keeps its palace.
Where it is
68 Susukinobaba-cho, Saga-Tenryuji, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, 616-8385 Japansource2
Before you go
- At the Yuun-an hall there is an hour of zazen sitting from 9:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of every month, followed by an hour-long talk at 10:00, both open to anyone, free and without reservation.source
- The monks' hall is a training hall where trainee monks live together, and it is closed to visitors.source
- On some days the halls cannot be visited because of temple events.source
- The dragon painted on the ceiling of the Dharma Hall can be seen on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays only, plus some spring and autumn stretches when it is open daily — we have no record of those dates, so check with the temple before counting on it.source
- You leave your stroller at the entrance to the Dharma Hall, and photography is not allowed inside.source
More notes (4)
- Parking cannot be reserved and works first come, first served, with space for 100 cars.source
- Yuki has to be booked two days ahead, and Tsuki and Hana need two people or more and three days of notice.source
- For Shigetsu bookings and questions, call 075-882-9725 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.source
- The garden paths also have level changes, and the route toward the bamboo grove path cannot be taken in a wheelchair, as reported in March 2020 and matching records from 2023 and 2024.source
Basics
- Fee：Garden (Sogenchi & Hyakkaen): ¥500 high school and up, ¥300 elementary/junior high, free for pre-school children. The halls (Ohojo, Shoin, Tahoden) add ¥300; the Cloud Dragon in the Hatto is a separate ¥500. With a disability certificate, the holder and one carer get ¥100 offsource
- Hours：Garden 8:30-17:00 (last entry 16:50). The halls close at 16:45 (last entry 16:30) and are shut on some event days. The Cloud Dragon hall opens 9:00-16:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only (daily in some spring and autumn periods). Early opening from 7:30 on 14-30 November 2026source
- Time to allow：1.5 hsource
- Booking：The monthly zazen session at Yuunan (2nd Sunday, from 9:00) is free and needs no booking. The temple's own vegetarian restaurant Shigetsu takes reservations 2-3 days aheadsourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (37)
Other
- It is a Rinzai Zen temple in the Saga-Arashiyama district of Kyoto.source
- It is the head temple of the Tenryu-ji branch of Rinzai Zen, and it is registered as a World Heritage site within the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.source
- The address is 68 Sagatenryuji Susukinobabacho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture.source
Getting there
- The Hyakkaen is a garden path laid out in 1983 along the natural slope of the hillside, running from the Tahoden — the memorial hall for Emperor Go-Daigo — to the north gate.source
- Going out through the north gate leads to the bamboo grove path and on to Sagano sights such as Okochi Sanso, Jojakko-ji and Rakushisha.source
- There are four entrance desks: the garden desk, the kuri desk, the north gate desk and the Dharma Hall desk.source
- It is right in front of you as you step out of Arashiyama Station on the Keifuku Arashiyama line.source
- It is a 13-minute walk from Saga-Arashiyama Station on the JR Sagano line.source
- It is a 15-minute walk from Arashiyama Station on the Hankyu line.source
- City buses 11, 28 and 93 stop at Arashiyama Tenryuji-mae, right in front of the temple.source
- Parking costs 1,000 yen per car per visit.source
- The parking lot is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the gate closes at 5:00.source
- No wheelchairs are available to borrow, as checked on site by our team in November 2021.source
- The approach from the main gate is gravel with a paved stone walkway running down the middle, as checked on site in November 2021.source
- The steps in front of the kuri have a ramp, as checked on site in November 2021.source
- Wheelchair users take the driveway toward the parking lot and reach the desk by the wide ramp in front of the kuri, rather than the main gate path, which has stone steps, from a solo electric wheelchair visit in January 2023.source
- The ramped path up to the desk has improved for wheelchairs, since the uneven metal plates that used to be there are gone.source
- In a wheelchair the halls cannot be visited and only the Sogenchi pond is open, and steps block the way toward the Hyakkaen and the north gate on the bamboo grove side, so you turn back at the pond.source
- The Great Abbot's Hall, the Shoin and the Tahoden are built with level changes, which makes visiting them in a wheelchair difficult, as reported in March 2020.source
- At the ticket window you can pick up a leaflet showing the barrier-free situation inside the garden, from a wheelchair user's review in April 2024.source
- There is no ramp up to the Tahoden, so a wheelchair user will find it hard without someone helping, from a wheelchair user's review in April 2024.source
- There is a level change as well at the way out to the north gate, from a wheelchair user's review in April 2024.source
- The wheelchair-accessible restroom on the grounds is up a slope off the small path beside the Great Abbot's Hall, and the slope was uneven enough that going alone in a manual wheelchair looked difficult, so the record advises using another restroom beforehand if no one is with you.source
- The edge of the Sogenchi pond can be walked all the way around without level changes, from an undated barrier-free map that matches the wheelchair records from 2023 and 2024.source
- Bukkyo University publishes a universal design map, last updated on March 6, 2024, with barrier-free route maps for the whole grounds, the garden and the Dharma Hall, including the angles of the slopes.source
Hours and closures
- The garden is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with last entry at 4:50 p.m. at both the garden desk and the north gate desk.source
- From November 14 to 30, 2026, there is a special early opening from 7:30 a.m. at the garden entrance only, while the north gate opens at 8:30.source
- Shigetsu serves from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.source
- Shigetsu is closed on Thursdays.source
Fees
- Admission to the garden, meaning the Sogenchi and the Hyakkaen, is 500 yen from high school age up, 300 yen for elementary and junior high school children, and free for children below school age.source
- Garden admission is 300 yen for elementary and junior high school students.source
- Children below school age enter the garden free.source
- Showing a disability certificate at the desk takes 100 yen off for the holder and for one caregiver.source
- The halls, meaning the Great Abbot's Hall, the Shoin and the Tahoden, cost 300 yen on top of garden admission and are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., with last entry at 4:30.source
- The special viewing of the cloud dragon in the Dharma Hall is 500 yen per person on top of the usual admission, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with last entry at 4:20.source
- The set meals are Yuki, soup and five dishes, at 3,800 yen; Tsuki, soup and six, at 6,500 yen; and Hana, soup and seven, at 9,000 yen, each on top of the 500 yen garden admission.source
Contact
- The phone number is 075-881-1235, answered from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (7)
- kaigo-antenna.jp: Nursing space, Family restroom, Steps & slope caution
- ashitodo.hatenablog.com: Family restroom, Steps & slope caution, Stroller access notes
- mamamap.jp: Diaper changing table, Nursing space, Family restroom
- ameblo.jp: Stroller friendly, Stroller access notes
- Official: Indoor / outdoor, Nursing space
- mizuno-ke.com: Stroller friendly
- Official: main site
Ashikaga Takauji founded this Rinzai Zen temple in 1339 to mourn the late Emperor Go-Daigo. Its pond garden, laid out by the monk Muso Soseki some 700 years ago, was Japan's first Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Two upright boulders form a dragon-gate waterfall, the carp stone set beside it rather than below, halfway into becoming a dragon. Kayama Matazo painted the dragon on the Hatto ceiling in 1997. The north gate opens onto the bamboo grove, and the temple runs a vegetarian restaurant on the grounds.
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | The garden (Sogenchi and Hyakkaen) is outdoors; the halls - Ohojo, Shoin, Tahoden and the Hatto - are indoors and ticketed separately | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | tenryuji.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller friendly | Yes | You can push a stroller around the garden. Entering the halls or the Hatto you leave it at the entrance (take valuables with you) | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | mizuno-ke.commizuno-ke.comameblo.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Yes (1) | One table, inside the accessible stall of the restroom in the garden. The restroom is outdoors | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | mamamap.jp |
| Nursing space | No | No nursing room is recorded on the grounds | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | mamamap.jpmamamap.jpkaigo-antenna.jptenryuji.com |
| Family restroom | Yes | Two restrooms on the grounds, one with an accessible stall, in the garden area; the slope up to it is bumpy | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | kaigo-antenna.jpkaigo-antenna.jpashitodo.hatenablog.commamamap.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller rental | Not checked yet | ||||
| Steps & slope caution | Many steps | The path around the Sogenchi pond is step-free. The halls (Ohojo, Shoin, Tahoden) have steps, and there are stairs between Hyakkaen and the north gate on the bamboo-grove side, so wheelchairs turn back at the pond | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ashitodo.hatenablog.comashitodo.hatenablog.comikiru-chikara.orgkaigo-antenna.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | The grounds are gravel, with a paved stone strip down the middle of the approach. Between Hyakkaen and the north gate there are slopes and gentle stairs here and there, where you carry the stroller. Wheelchair users enter along the road toward the parking lot and up the ramp by the Kuri building, not through the main gate path | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ameblo.jpameblo.jpkaigo-antenna.jpashitodo.hatenablog.com |
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