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Daitokuji Temple

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4.3 (2438)

53 Murasakino Daitokujichō, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8231, Japan

Famed for its gardens, this sprawling Buddhist temple complex is part of the Rinzai Zen sect.

hourglassDuration: 02h00min

phone+81 75-491-0019
outdoor
outdoor
paid
paid
daytime
daytime
traditional
traditional
temple
temples

clockOpening hours

Mondays: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Tuesdays: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Wednesdays: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Thursdays: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Fridays: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Saturdays: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Sundays: 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

googlereview(s)

4.3
2438 review(s)
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Lesley Clark in the last week

Beautiful gardens. It's a real shame they're charging between 400-1,000 per garden though...bit overpriced if you want to visit them all.

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Geoffrey Chu 2 months ago

Not busy when I went but very cold. Was kind of confused where to go but nice to wander around the area. Some nice little gardens that cost around ¥500 to enter. I visited 2 which were nice but I went through them quite quick

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Pieter Sypesteyn 5 months ago

Daitoko-ji temple is a wonderland. I wish I had more time to spend here. I was here for 3 hours, but could have spent several more. It is a large temple complex with many buildings and gardens to explore, all of them quite different from the next. I went in late summer and it was beautiful. There were not too many people here. I also got to explore one of the private gardens that is not usually open to visitors and it was worth the added expense. Some of the gardens require a small fee to enter, and it is cash only so bring some cash with you. Most of them range from ¥400 - ¥1000, and are worth it to explore. There is a world-class Bonsai exhibit, which was the highlight of my visit, as I am an avid gardener and intermediate bonsai artist.

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Tom leslie 7 months ago

By far my favorite place in Kyoto. Daitoku-ji allows for an intimate, profound and calm experience with some of Japan's most stunning cultural treasures. Each of the 4 gardens were exceptional. It was incredibly quiet as well. Very few visitors despite a great location. Highly recommend.

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Tobias Lass 9 months ago

Its fairly confusing where you can enter and where not so make sure to know what you're getting before you come. However, most of it is visible from the streets anyway and the neighborhood alone is worth visiting. A lot of walled properties each looking like a temple themselves. Many gates had a "no sightseeing" sign because they genuinely all look like sight seeing destinations instead of private homes.