Engakuji Temple Autumn Leaves 2026 Confirmed

円覚寺の紅葉 — Kamakura, Kanagawa (Kanto)

In Tokyo in November? See all 22 events in Tokyo that month →

Engakuji is the second of Kamakura's five great Zen temples and by far the easiest to reach — the entrance steps begin about a minute from the platform at Kita-Kamakura Station. Maples ring the Myokochi pond and the Butsunichian sub-temple, and the colour arrives late, usually the last days of November into the second week of December, which makes Kamakura one of the last places in the Kanto region to turn. Admission is 500 yen for adults and 200 yen for children.

Background

Engakuji was founded in 1282 by the regent Hojo Tokimune, with the Chinese monk Mugaku Sogen as its first abbot, to console the dead of both sides of the Mongol invasions. Its Shariden reliquary hall is a National Treasure and the finest surviving example of Zen-style architecture in Japan, and the great bell cast in 1301 is another. The novelist Natsume Soseki practised zazen here, an episode he used in his novel Mon.

Getting there

Kita-Kamakura Station on the JR Yokosuka Line sits directly below the temple — cross to the far side of the tracks and the gate is about a minute away. Kamakura Station is one stop further south. There is no temple parking, and the road outside is narrow and busy in season.

Tips

• Closing moves to 16:00 from December, and the last of the colour falls in exactly that window — plan an early afternoon arrival.
• The reflection in Myokochi pond, halfway up the grounds, is the composition worth waiting for.
• The 140-odd steps to the bell tower lead to a small teahouse with a view over the valley that most visitors skip.
• Tokeiji and Meigetsuin are within walking distance of the same station, which makes a natural Kita-Kamakura maple circuit on foot.

Last verified against the official source: Sat, September 12, 2026