Daikakuji Temple
Daikakuji is a Kyoto temple that was once Emperor Saga's retreat palace.
piggybackjapan.com
Daikakuji Temple
SaveContains ads | Our order isn't influenced by ads ▶ How we make money ▶ How we choose places
Daikakuji is a Kyoto temple that was once Emperor Saga's retreat palace.
Its centerpiece is Osawa Pond, Japan's oldest man-made garden pond, about 1 km around.
MoreWhat kind of place
Daikakuji began in 876, when Emperor Saga's retreat palace became a temple, and emperors and imperial family members served as its head priest until the early Meiji era (late 1800s), and it is also called the Saga Imperial Palace. 2026 marks 1,150 years since its founding.
With kidsThe part that matters
Osawa Pond is where the time goes. The pond is about 1 km around, with more than 20 stone Buddhas along its north bank. The pond's edge is a restful walk, as a family with children aged 7 to 12 found in April 2019.
In the halls, the Murasame Corridor, which links two of them, has a low ceiling and a floor that chirps underfoot. Outside the cherry and autumn-leaf seasons, visitors are usually few, so the grounds feel roomy.
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
Not checked yet
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayA couple who came on a rainy day in late December 2019 found the grounds uncrowded and saw the corridor known as a period-drama filming spot, plus the pond, in under an hour.
- Hot dayThe pond area is outdoors, and one visitor in June 2013 found the sun strong enough to sting the skin. Food and drink are banned, but drinks to prevent heatstroke are allowed, so bring water for the walk.
- Cold dayOn January 3, 2026, the pond had been drained. A family with a daughter walked in anyway, found the empty pond worth seeing, and circled it in about 20 minutes on a quiet winter day.
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：not checked
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：none
- Own foodOutside food allowed：none
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details.
Not yet checked: 7
Lost-child support, Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Official family-friendly certification, High chair, Kids' menu, Best-fit ages (guide)
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Daikakuji Temple · Links & reads ▾
＋ Add a link
Save
Where to go next
With a baby (0–1)
- Togetsukyo BridgeStroller friendly1.8 kmTogetsukyo is a 155-meter bridge over the Katsura River in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
- Arashiyama GyateiKyoto home-style set meals1.5 kmA restaurant serving Kyoto home-style obanzai for about thirty years, with eighty seats.
- Sagano Romantic TrainStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table15 min walkA sightseeing train running 7.3 km along the Hozu River, 25 minutes one way.
With preschoolers (4–6)
- Sagano Romantic TrainStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table15 min walkA sightseeing train running 7.3 km along the Hozu River, 25 minutes one way.
- Arashiyama Bamboo GroveBamboo pathStroller friendly1.4 kmA 400-meter path walled on both sides by tended bamboo, from a shrine to a villa.
- Tenryu-ji TempleZen temple & gardenStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableFamily restroom1.5 kmA Zen temple from 1339 around a pond garden, Japan's first Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
- Arashiyama GyateiKyoto home-style set meals1.5 kmA restaurant serving Kyoto home-style obanzai for about thirty years, with eighty seats.
For sights
- Sagano Romantic TrainStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table15 min walkA sightseeing train running 7.3 km along the Hozu River, 25 minutes one way.
- Togetsukyo BridgeStroller friendly1.8 kmTogetsukyo is a 155-meter bridge over the Katsura River in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
- Arashiyama Bamboo GroveBamboo pathStroller friendly1.4 kmA 400-meter path walled on both sides by tended bamboo, from a shrine to a villa.
- Tenryu-ji TempleZen temple & gardenStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableFamily restroom1.5 kmA Zen temple from 1339 around a pond garden, Japan's first Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
Where it is
The address is 4 Saga-osawa-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8411.source
Before you go
- The temple posts closures on its own website, which showed a maintenance notice on October 22, 2026, so call 075-871-0071 (answered 9:00 to 17:00) before you go. There is no regular closed day, but ritual days can shut the hall interiors or the pond walk, and an approaching typhoon can close both areas for a day or part of one.
- Admission is two separate tickets. Since April 1, 2026, the halls cost ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for elementary to high school students, and the pond costs ¥500 and ¥100. You can buy the pond ticket at the hall entrance, and the sources do not say what children below elementary age pay.
- The temple is open 9:00 to 17:00 with the last entry at 16:30, and a visitor who arrived at 16:25 in November 2019 had to rush and could not stroll the garden. Sutra copying (¥1,000, about 60 minutes) takes walk-ins from 9:00 to 15:30 (in 2026, only until 13:00 during the moon-viewing evenings, September 25 to 27), while the dragon-head boat at the autumn moon-viewing evenings needs an advance application.
- Allow about 60 minutes for the halls and 30 to 60 more for sutra copying. The pond takes about 30 minutes on the short route or 60 on the long one, and the halls plus the pond run 90 to 120 minutes (one visitor's guide allows 2 hours or more in the cherry and autumn-leaf seasons). Take your shoes off in the halls, and carry them in a bag if you go on to the pond.
- Food and drink are banned in both areas, except drinks to prevent heatstroke. At the pond, ball games, flying discs, badminton, feeding carp or birds, fishing and pets (guide and hearing dogs excepted) are not allowed, and photos and video are banned inside the halls.
- The temple itself says the grounds have many steps and are not barrier-free (a 2018 event notice). Wheelchairs can enter but some places are closed to them and help is needed, and the Kyoto tourism federation lists no wheelchair-accessible restroom for the temple or the pond.
- From JR Saga-Arashiyama Station it is about a 20-minute walk (about 1.3 km; Japan's national tourism organization says 15 minutes), or about 6 minutes on city bus 91 (¥230) to the Daikakuji stop, which is right in front of the entrance. The parking lot has 30 car spaces at ¥500 for 2 hours and can fill quickly depending on the time of day.
Sources and evidence (52)
- The Kyoto tourism federation lists no wheelchair-accessible restroom for the temple.source
- It lists no wheelchair-accessible restroom at the pond either.source
- The pond area is outdoors, and one visitor in June 2013 found the sun strong enough to sting the skin.source
- Food and drink are banned at the pond area, except drinks to prevent heatstroke.source
- Food and drink are banned in both areas, except drinks to prevent heatstroke.source
- Hall area admission is ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for elementary to high school students (hall area only, after the April 1, 2026 revision; an old ¥500 and ¥300 listing remains lower on the same page).source
- Pond area admission is ¥500 for adults and ¥100 for elementary to high school students, charged separately from the halls.source
- The Kyoto City Tourism Association lists the same hall fees and does not say what children below elementary age pay.source
- It lists the same pond fees and again does not say what children below elementary age pay.source
- Both areas are open 9:00 to 17:00, and the last entry is at 16:30.source
- The pond area follows the same hours, with the last entry at 16:30.source
- The Kyoto tourism federation lists 9:00 to 16:30, with the gate closing at 17:00.source
- One visitor who arrived at 16:25 in November 2019 had to rush and could not stroll the garden.source
- There is no regular closed day, but ritual days can close the hall interiors or the pond walk.source
- The halls take about 60 minutes, with 30 to 60 minutes more if you copy a sutra.source
- The short pond route takes about 30 minutes.source
- The halls plus the short pond route take about 90 minutes.source
- The long pond route takes about 60 minutes.source
- One visitor suggested about 1 hour 40 minutes in all, and 2 hours or more in the cherry and autumn-leaf seasons.source
- The dragon-head boat at the autumn moon-viewing evenings requires an advance application (it seems to be by lottery because it is popular).source
- Individuals do not need to book sutra copying.source
- The parking lot has 30 car spaces at ¥500 for 2 hours.source
- From JR Saga-Arashiyama Station it is about a 20-minute walk, about 1.3 km.source
- City bus 91 from that station reaches the Daikakuji stop in about 6 minutes.source
- Japan's national tourism organization says 15 minutes on foot from the same station.source
- The Daikakuji bus stop is right in front of the temple entrance.source
- The address is 4 Saga-osawa-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 616-8411.source
- The phone number is 075-871-0071.source
- As of October 22, 2026, the official website was in maintenance mode and showed no page content.source
- Phone calls are answered from 9:00 to 17:00 only.source
- Sutra copying is accepted from 9:00 to 15:30.source
- An approaching typhoon can close the temple for all or part of a day, announced at the top of the official website.source
- The temple asks visitors to check its website before coming in case of a closure.source
- Hall fees rose from ¥500 and ¥300 on April 1, 2026.source
- The pond fee for adults rose from ¥300 to ¥500 on April 1, 2026, while the student fee stayed ¥100.source
- The temple says the grounds have many steps and are not barrier-free (a 2018 event notice).source
- The parking lot can fill quickly depending on the time of day.source
- The official bus guide gives a fare of ¥230.source
- The halls plus the long pond route take about 120 minutes.source
- Ball games, flying discs and badminton are banned at the pond area.source
- Feeding the carp and birds is banned at the pond.source
- Pets are not allowed, except guide and hearing dogs.source
- Photos and video are banned inside the halls.source
- In 2026, sutra copying was accepted only until 13:00 during the moon-viewing evenings, September 25 to 27.source
- Fishing is also banned at the pond area.source
- The hall area and the pond area are charged separately.source
- Sutra copying costs ¥1,000.source
- Sutra copying takes about 60 minutes.source
- Wheelchairs can enter, but some places are closed to them and help is needed.source
- The Kyoto tourism federation says the same for the pond area.source
- The pond ticket can be bought at the entrance of the hall area.source
- The halls are entered without shoes, so a visitor suggested carrying them in a bag if you go on to the pond.source
Basics
- Fee: Hall area admission is ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for elementary to high school students (hall area only, after the April 1, 2026 revision; an old ¥500 and ¥300 listing remains lower on the same page).source
- Hours: The Kyoto tourism federation lists 9:00 to 16:30, with the gate closing at 17:00.source
- Booking: The dragon-head boat at the autumn moon-viewing evenings requires an advance application (it seems to be by lottery because it is popular).source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (3)
- saganotsuki.blog.fc2.com: Indoor / outdoor
- web.archive.org: Outside food allowed
- kyoto-kankou.or.jp: Family restroom
- Official: main site
| Nursing space | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Family restroom | No | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | kyoto-kankou.or.jp | |
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Outdoor | The pond area is outdoors, and one visitor in June 2013 found the sun strong enough to sting the skin. | Web-checked | checked Jun ’13 | saganotsuki.blog.fc2.com |
| 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 | No | Food and drink are banned at the pond area, except drinks to prevent heatstroke. | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | web.archive.org |
| 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 |
Reviews
Reviews