Eikando Zenrin-ji
Eikando, a Kyoto temple, is known for maples and a Buddha looking back over its shoulder.
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Eikando Zenrin-ji
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Eikando, a Kyoto temple, is known for maples and a Buddha looking back over its shoulder.
Covered corridors join its halls, and you can walk around its pond garden or pour water into a water-sound device.
MoreWhat kind of place
Founded in 853, the temple received the name Zenrin-ji by imperial plaque in 863, and people call it Eikando after its seventh head, Yokan Risshi. Its Buddha statue, the Mikaeri Amida, is said to have looked back over its left shoulder in 1082 and told the walking Yokan, "you are slow"; today the temple is known for its maples, about 3,000 of them.
With kidsThe part that matters
That water-sound device, the suikinkutsu, is the part children can work. Pour water into its pipes and a clear, koto-like tone follows. A girl on one summer visit stayed absorbed in it for a long time.
Koi swim up to the pond bridge, and the garden can be walked in a loop around the pond. Garyuro, a stairway-corridor up the hillside, is the steeper option, with narrow steps.
So the best moments here are small, hands-on ones along the way, not standing in front of treasures.
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1Inside the halls it is carrying only; a Kyoto mother with a 1-year-old found a carrier that folds small handy, while the gravel garden paths suit a stroller (in the crowded maple season, a carrier is easier there too).
- Ages 2-3Not checked yet
- Ages 4-6Not checked yet
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe halls and covered corridors give you indoor ground, so a rainy visit can work, though the garden and bridges stay outdoors and the pagoda can close in bad weather.
- Hot daySummer is the quiet season, and one family with a young daughter called the temple a respite from heat and crowds, although one couple visiting in June 2020 found the sun strong enough to call a parasol a must.
- Cold dayNot checked yet
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：yes
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：none
- ChangingDiaper changing table：yes
- Family WCFamily restroom：yes
- Own foodOutside food allowed：none
- EnglishEnglish support：with conditionsconditions
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.
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Where to go next
With preschoolers (4–6)
- Higashi HonganjiStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table4.2 kmHigashi Honganji is a Buddhist head temple, a 7-minute walk from Kyoto Station.
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With a baby (0–1)
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With a toddler (2–3)
- Nanzen-ji TempleStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableFamily restroom5 min walkA Rinzai Zen head temple in Kyoto, founded in 1291 from a retired emperor's villa.
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- Kyoto AquariumAquariumStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table5.2 kmAn aquarium that recreates a Kyoto river and the sea, with a rice paddy indoors.
For sights
- Higashi HonganjiStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table4.2 kmHigashi Honganji is a Buddhist head temple, a 7-minute walk from Kyoto Station.
- Chion-in TempleElevatorFamily restroom1.4 kmChion-in is the head temple of the Jodo school of Buddhism, in Kyoto's Higashiyama district.
- Nanzen-ji TempleStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableFamily restroom5 min walkA Rinzai Zen head temple in Kyoto, founded in 1291 from a retired emperor's villa.
- To-ji TempleStroller friendlyFamily restroom5.7 kmToji: World Heritage temple founded in 796, a 15-minute walk from Kyoto Station's Hachijo exit.
- Kitano Tenmangu ShrineStroller friendlyDiaper changing tableFamily restroom5.8 kmKyoto shrine founded in 947 for Sugawara no Michizane, head of some 12,000 shrines across Japan.
- Nijo-jo CastleWorld Heritage castle you walk insideStroller friendlyNursing spaceDiaper changing table4.3 kmBuilt by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603, the only Japanese castle that still keeps its palace.
Where it is
The address is 48 Eikando-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto.source
Before you go
- Strollers cannot go along the aisles inside the halls, though the gravel garden paths work for them, and there is no stroller rental, so ask at reception where to leave yours. In maple season a carrier is easier than a stroller in the crowds.
- Shoes come off before the halls and you walk them barefoot, so bring a shoe bag or plastic bag, which the temple asks for.
- Eating and drinking are banned on the grounds and the rules do not mention baby food or water bottles, while there is no nursing room, so plan feeds and snacks for before or after.
- Regular admission is 1,000 yen for adults (800 yen for groups of 30 or more) and 200 yen for elementary school children, individuals and groups alike, with reception open 9:00 to 16:00 and the gates closing at 17:00.
- From November 11 to December 6, 2026, the Garyuro corridor and the Senbutsu-do hall are closed, and the pagoda stairs can also close when it is crowded or the weather is bad, and during the treasure exhibition it may be closed to avoid crowding.
- The day exhibition (November 11 to December 6; adults 1,500 yen, junior/senior high 800 yen) and the evening illumination (1,000 yen, junior high and older) are separate swap-over sessions, with no advance tickets, and day visitors must leave by 5 p.m.; sources disagree on the illumination dates (the Japanese page says November 20 to December 6, the English news page says to December 10), so check the official site; the exhibition and illumination price tables list no elementary school category, since the 200 yen rate appears only in the regular table.
- City bus 5 from Kyoto Station, Keihan Sanjo or Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi to Nanzen-ji Eikando-michi is a 3-minute walk (another source says 5 minutes), but in the busy season that stop is closed, so use Higashitennocho (8 minutes on foot), and cars cannot enter or park during the exhibition; expect crowds around November 21 to 30, when mornings are relatively quiet, and reception may close early.
Sources and evidence (41)
- JGA's accessibility table says there is no nursing room.source
- The restrooms have a diaper-changing bed.source
- A wheelchair-accessible restroom is listed.source
- Strollers cannot go along the aisles inside the halls (condition: halls only; strollers in the garden are not mentioned in this line).source
- The garden paths are gravel and work with a stroller; the halls do not (condition: garden only).source
- Strollers are not allowed in the halls; ask at reception where to leave yours (condition: halls only).source
- A regular visit covers the halls and the garden, so it is both indoor and outdoor (condition: the Gasendo, kitchen, bath and Eikando Kaikan are not open; some halls close on event days).source
- There is an elevator on the grounds, styled to blend into the scenery.source
- Multilingual signs are in some places only, and no staff speak other languages (condition: some places only).source
- Eating, drinking and smoking are banned on the grounds (condition: no separate note on baby food or water bottles).source
- Eating and drinking are banned on the grounds.source
- The regular adult fee from April 1, 2026 is 1,000 yen for individuals (condition: groups of 30 or more pay 800 yen).source
- The regular fee for elementary school children is 200 yen, for individuals and groups alike (condition: elementary school children).source
- Regular reception runs 9:00 to 16:00, with the gates closing at 17:00 (condition: the same daytime hours during the autumn treasure exhibition).source
- There are no advance tickets for the treasure exhibition or the illumination; buy on the day, valid that day only (condition: applies to the autumn exhibition and illumination).source
- City bus route 5 from Kyoto Station to Nanzen-ji Eikando-michi is a 3-minute walk (usual days; condition: from Kyoto Station, Keihan Sanjo or Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi on city bus 5).source
- From Keihan Jingu-Marutamachi, take city bus 204 or 93 to Higashitennocho, then walk 8 minutes.source
- The Nanzen-ji Eikando-michi bus stop is closed in the busy season, per Kyoto's night-viewing page; Higashitennocho is an 8-minute walk.source
- Another source (japan-guide) gives bus 5 from Kyoto Station as 35 minutes and 230 yen, then a 5-minute walk from Nanzen-ji Eikando-michi (conflicts with #82).source
- The address is 48 Eikando-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto.source
- The temple asks visitors to bring a shoe bag or plastic bag.source
- During the autumn exhibition, private cars, motorbikes and e-scooters cannot enter or park.source
- The autumn treasure exhibition by day runs November 11 to December 6, 2026, reception 9:00 to 16:00, gates close 17:00.source
- During the 2026 autumn exhibition, adults pay 1,500 yen and junior/senior high students 800 yen.source
- The autumn treasure exhibition and illumination price tables have no elementary school category; the 200 yen elementary rate is only in the regular table.source
- The Japanese official page gives the 2026 illumination as November 20 to December 6, reception 17:30 to 20:30.source
- The English news page gives a different end date, December 10.source
- The evening illumination costs 1,000 yen for junior high and older.source
- Day exhibition and evening illumination are swap-over sessions, and day visitors must leave by 5 p.m.source
- Late November is very crowded during the exhibition.source
- Reception may close early to ease crowds.source
- The Garyuro corridor is closed from November 11 to December 6.source
- The Senbutsu-do hall is closed from November 11 to December 6.source
- The pagoda can close when crowded or in bad weather.source
- Kyoto city's English page gives the illumination as November 11 to December 5.source
- Stroller rental is not offered.source
- During the treasure exhibition the pagoda may be closed to avoid crowding.source
- Crowds peak around November 21 to 30, and mornings are relatively empty.source
- Shoes come off to enter the halls.source
- In maple season, a carrier is easier than a stroller because of the crowds.source
- You walk the halls barefoot.source
Basics
- Fee: The regular adult fee from April 1, 2026 is 1,000 yen for individuals (condition: groups of 30 or more pay 800 yen).source
- Hours: Regular reception runs 9:00 to 16:00, with the gates closing at 17:00 (condition: the same daytime hours during the autumn treasure exhibition).source
- Booking: There are no advance tickets for the treasure exhibition or the illumination; buy on the day, valid that day only (condition: applies to the autumn exhibition and illumination).source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (8)
- j-g-a.org: Nursing space, Diaper changing table, English support
- Official: Indoor / outdoor, Outside food allowed
- ameblo.jp: Elevator
- Official: Stroller friendly
- kyoto-kankou.or.jp: Family restroom
- Official: main site
| Nursing space | No | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | j-g-a.org | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | j-g-a.org | |
| Family restroom | Yes | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | kyoto-kankou.or.jp | |
| Stroller friendly | Conditional | No: Strollers cannot go along the aisles inside the halls (condition: halls only; strollers in the garden are not mentioned in this line). / Yes: The garden paths are gravel and work with a stroller; the halls do not (condition: garden only). / Yes: Strollers are not allowed in the halls; ask at reception where to leave yours (condition: halls only). | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | eikando.or.jp |
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | A regular visit covers the halls and the garden, so it is both indoor and outdoor (condition: the Gasendo, kitchen, bath and Eikando Kaikan are not open; some halls close on event days). | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | eikando.or.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Yes | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | ameblo.jp | |
| English support | English menu & signs | Multilingual signs are in some places only, and no staff speak other languages (condition: some places only). | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | j-g-a.org |
| Outside food allowed | No | Web-checked | checked Oct ’26 | eikando.or.jp | |
| 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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