Kohfukuji Temple
Kofuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Nara, dating to 710, whose grounds are free to enter.
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Kohfukuji Temple
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Kofuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Nara, dating to 710, whose grounds are free to enter.
Its National Treasure Hall holds the three-faced, six-armed Asura statue, one of eight guardian figures, on permanent display.
MoreWhat kind of place
In 710, Fujiwara no Fuhito moved an earlier temple from Asuka to the capital, Heijō-kyō (today's Nara), and Kofuku-ji kept its treasures through repeated fires and rebuilding. At its peak the temple had 175 buildings; the Central Golden Hall was rebuilt in 2018 after about 300 years, and the temple is part of the World Heritage "Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara" (registered 1998).
With kidsThe part that matters
The National Treasure Hall holds the three-faced, six-armed Asura statue, on permanent display. Of the eight guardian figures, each weighs only 10 to 15 kilograms, and Asura and three more have young boys' faces.
A thousand-armed Kannon over 5 meters tall stands mid-hall, and you can look up at it from beside it. Outside, deer roam, and Sarusawa Pond below the steps has turtles and carp for children to watch.
Nothing inside can be touched or photographed and the grounds are gravel, so this is a place for looking.
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1A stroller or baby carrier suits this age: the hall was easy for a stroller on a rainy day, though an account from the Nara Toka-e lantern season says the gravel grounds shake it a bit. Skipping the interior and just walking around for photos, as one family with a fussy 1.5-year-old did after a long trip, is also an option.
- Ages 2-3Accounts of gravel and steps with a stroller differ. A family with a 2-year-10-month-old said in March 2010 that their stroller handled steps and gravel around Nara Park, and that the downhill gravel approach from Kasuga Taisha to the temple was easy, while a 2020 blog rates the whole temple hard for strollers because of steps and gravel.
- Ages 4-6One family with children aged 2 to 3 and 4 to 6, plus parents and grandparents, fit their visit into one to two hours in February 2025, found the temple an easy walk from the station, and called the crowds normal.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe National Treasure Hall is indoors, so a couple with a 0-year-old found it quiet and easy to move through by stroller on a rainy day. Moving between halls still means walking outside on gravel with some steps, though.
- Hot dayNara's midday temperatures can pass 35°C in summer, so the National Treasure Hall and Central Golden Hall are indoor places to cool off, which matters on a humid day: one group's children begged to go home, and the group spent more time in a cafe than at the temple.
- Cold dayIn winter the National Treasure Hall and Central Golden Hall are heated, but you walk outdoors between halls, so bring a coat. Winter is also the season with the fewest tourists, so the grounds are least crowded then.
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：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：none
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：none
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details.
Not yet checked: 6
Lost-child support, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Official family-friendly certification, High chair, Kids' menu, Best-fit ages (guide)
* Not at this spot — nearest options (1)
- Nursing space: not at the spot itself. We read 117 pages and found 1 nearby instead.
- Nara Bus Terminal, outside the temple, has a nursing room. source
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
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Where to go next
With a baby (0–1)
- Nara ParkPark with wild deerStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table15 min walkA 511-hectare prefectural park holding Todaiji and Kasuga Taisha inside it.
- Todaiji TempleTempleStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableElevator10 min walkA temple whose wooden hall, among the world's largest, shelters a 15-meter Great Buddha.
- Kasugataisha ShrineShrineDiaper changing tableFamily restroom1.5 kmA shrine founded in 768, with some 3,000 lanterns given along its approach and cloisters.
For sights
- Todaiji TempleTempleStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableElevator10 min walkA temple whose wooden hall, among the world's largest, shelters a 15-meter Great Buddha.
- Kasugataisha ShrineShrineDiaper changing tableFamily restroom1.5 kmA shrine founded in 768, with some 3,000 lanterns given along its approach and cloisters.
Where it is
The address is 48 Noboriōji-chō, Nara City, postal code 630-8213.source
Before you go
- The five-story pagoda is being repaired for the first time in about 120 years, and a construction cover hides it from the outside, so plan for the temple without the tower and check the temple's notices page for the latest on the grounds and visiting routes.
- The grounds are free to enter, and the halls (National Treasure Hall, Eastern Golden Hall, Central Golden Hall) are open 9:00 to 17:00 every day (though the National Treasure Hall closed for three days, March 30 to April 1, 2025, when fees changed), with entry until 16:45 according to the temple (Visit Nara lists 16:30), but the combined ticket for the three stops selling at 16:00 and after that only single-hall tickets are sold, so arrive well before 16:00; a visitor who came 45 minutes before closing in June 2026 saw only two buildings.
- Tickets come from a machine at the Kangenjo, east of the Central Golden Hall, and payment is cash only.
- The fee table lists adult/university, high school/junior high and elementary categories with nothing for preschoolers, and fees rose on April 1, 2025, so listing sites that show older prices are out of date; check the fee table at kohfukuji.com.
- The grounds are gravel with steps and slopes, so a stroller shakes a bit (an account from the Nara Toka-e lantern season); a 2020 blog calls the temple hard for strollers but says you can enter the National Treasure Hall, and the 52 stone steps down to Sarusawa Pond can be avoided by a slightly longer slope route. The halls ask visitors not to bring baggage large enough to block the way, and strollers are not mentioned.
- For toilets, the temple points to public toilets nearby, at the former Great South Gate site (sign "Gojūni-dan Kita") and in Noboriōji Park, and the temple's English page lists an accessible toilet at the National Treasure Hall while its Japanese notice says the buildings have no toilets, so use a public toilet before you go in. A 2020 blog mentions a diaper-changing station in a toilet at the temple (building not stated), Nara Bus Terminal outside the temple has a nursing room and changing table, and there are no trash cans in Nara Park, so take trash home.
- Inside the halls, photos, video and sketching are banned and touching statues or cases is not allowed; the temple's list of requests also includes eating and drinking but does not say whether that covers the whole grounds or only the halls, and visitors are asked not to feed the deer. The temple takes no group reservations and needs no advance contact.
Sources and evidence (47)
- Nara Bus Terminal, outside the temple, has a nursing room.source
- Nara Bus Terminal, outside the temple, has a diaper-changing table.source
- A 2020 blog mentions a diaper-changing station in a toilet at the temple (which building is not stated).source
- The English page lists accessible toilets, a wheelchair slope and one free wheelchair at the National Treasure Hall (English page only; it conflicts with the Japanese notice).source
- The Japanese notice says the facilities on the grounds, including the National Treasure Hall, have no toilets.source
- The English page says the National Treasure Hall has accessible toilets, which conflicts with the Japanese notice.source
- The National Treasure Hall was quiet and easy to move through with a stroller (a 0-year-old, rainy day, inside the hall).source
- The grounds are gravel and a stroller shakes a bit; between Sarusawa Pond and the temple there are slopes and steps, though the 52 steps have a detour (account from the Nara Toka-e season).source
- A 2020 blog calls the temple hard to get around by stroller because of steps and sand or gravel, but says you can enter the National Treasure Hall.source
- In winter the National Treasure Hall and Central Golden Hall are heated, but you walk outdoors, so wear a coat.source
- Take your trash home: there are no trash cans in Nara Park (this covers trash in general, not diapers alone).source
- The temple's list of requests includes eating, drinking and smoking, but it does not say whether this covers the whole grounds or only the halls.source
- The grounds are free to enter; normally only the National Treasure Hall, Eastern Golden Hall and Central Golden Hall charge, from 9:00 to 17:00, and special openings such as Hokuendo in spring and autumn are charged separately.source
- At the Kangenjo, tickets come from a ticket machine instead of a counter, and payment is cash only.source
- Looking at the Central Golden Hall from outside is free; going inside costs money.source
- The halls are open from 9:00 to 17:00, and entry to the halls is until 16:45 according to the temple (Visit Nara lists 16:30).source
- The Central Golden Hall, Eastern Golden Hall and National Treasure Hall are open every day of the year.source
- The temple takes no group reservations and needs no advance contact; booking for individual visitors is not described.source
- With a stroller, you can avoid carrying it up and down the 52 steps by taking a slightly longer slope route.source
- The stone steps from Nan'endo down to Sarusawa Pond are called Kofuku-ji Gojūni-dan and number 52, with a large height difference.source
- The address is 48 Noboriōji-chō, Nara City, postal code 630-8213.source
- The official website is https://www.kohfukuji.com/.source
- The combined ticket for three places is sold from 9:00 to 16:00 only.source
- After 16:00, only single-hall tickets are sold.source
- Admission fees are paid in cash only.source
- The fee table has adult/university, high school/junior high and elementary school categories, and no fee is listed for children younger than elementary school.source
- Admission fees were raised on April 1, 2025, and the current fee table is the later one.source
- The temple points visitors to nearby public toilets: the one by the "Gojūni-dan Kita" sign at the former Great South Gate site, and the one in Noboriōji Park.source
- Photos, video, sketching and flashlights are banned inside halls and buildings.source
- Touching statues, Buddhist ritual objects and display cases is banned.source
- Inside the halls, the temple asks visitors not to bring baggage large enough to block the way; strollers are not mentioned.source
- The temple asks visitors not to feed deer or stray dogs and cats.source
- The five-story pagoda is in its first preservation repair since the Meiji era, and a construction cover has been going up since July 2023.source
- The temple's grounds guide says to check its notices for the latest information on the grounds and on visiting.source
- The pagoda repair is the first in about 120 years.source
- Visit Nara's English page gives the last admission as 16:30; other listings say 16:45.source
- The pagoda is enclosed in a construction cover, so its outside cannot be seen.source
- Because of the pagoda repair, the place where you view the buildings may change, and you may have to use detour paths.source
- Visit Nara's listing also says payment is cash only.source
- The combined ticket for the National Treasure Hall, Eastern Golden Hall and Central Golden Hall stops selling at 16:00, earlier than the hall hours.source
- One listing site still shows the old National Treasure Hall prices from before the increase.source
- Another listing site also shows the old National Treasure Hall prices.source
- A listing site also shows the old Eastern Golden Hall prices.source
- The grounds have gravel and steps, and you walk between the halls.source
- The paid halls are the Central Golden Hall, Eastern Golden Hall and National Treasure Hall; tickets are bought at the Kangenjo, east of the Central Golden Hall.source
- One visitor's account says the tower itself cannot be seen during the repair.source
- A visitor who arrived 45 minutes before closing in June 2026 could see only two buildings.source
Basics
- Fee: Looking at the Central Golden Hall from outside is free; going inside costs money.source
- Hours: The halls are open from 9:00 to 17:00, and entry to the halls is until 16:45 according to the temple (Visit Nara lists 16:30).source
- Booking: The temple takes no group reservations and needs no advance contact; booking for individual visitors is not described.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (6)
- Official: Diaper disposal bin, Outside food allowed
- localests-jp.com: Diaper changing table
- narasanpo.hatenablog.com: Indoor / outdoor
- note.com: Stroller friendly
- Official: Family restroom
- Official: main site
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Yes | A 2020 blog mentions a diaper-changing station in a toilet at the temple (which building is not stated). | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | localests-jp.com |
| Family restroom | Conditional | Yes: The English page lists accessible toilets, a wheelchair slope and one free wheelchair at the National Treasure Hall (English page only; it conflicts with the Japanese notice). / No: The Japanese notice says the facilities on the grounds, including the National Treasure Hall, have no toilets. / Yes: The English page says the National Treasure Hall has accessible toilets, which conflicts with the Japanese notice. | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | kohfukuji.com |
| Stroller friendly | Yes | The National Treasure Hall was quiet and easy to move through with a stroller (a 0-year-old, rainy day, inside the hall). | Web-checked | checked Jul ’25 | note.com |
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | In winter the National Treasure Hall and Central Golden Hall are heated, but you walk outdoors, so wear a coat. | Web-checked | checked Mar ’26 | narasanpo.hatenablog.com |
| Diaper disposal bin | No | Take your trash home: there are no trash cans in Nara Park (this covers trash in general, not diapers alone). | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | kohfukuji.com |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | No | The temple's list of requests includes eating, drinking and smoking, but it does not say whether this covers the whole grounds or only the halls. | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | kohfukuji.com |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| High chair | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' menu | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
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