Nanzenji Temple Autumn Leaves 2026 Confirmed

南禅寺の紅葉 — Kyoto (Kansai)

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Nanzenji's grounds are open and free to walk, and the two things people come for in late November are both outdoors: the enormous Sanmon gate rising out of the maples, and Suirokaku, a red-brick Meiji aqueduct that still carries water from Lake Biwa straight across the temple precinct. Peak colour is usually the second half of November. Climbing the Sanmon costs 600 yen and the Hojo garden the same again, but the aqueduct and the main approach cost nothing.

Background

The site began as a retirement villa for Emperor Kameyama and was converted into a Zen temple in 1291. Nanzenji was later ranked above all of Kyoto's Five Mountain temples, making it nominally the highest-ranked Zen temple in Japan. The Suirokaku aqueduct was completed in 1888 as part of the Lake Biwa Canal, a Meiji engineering project that brought water and hydroelectric power to a city that had just lost the imperial court to Tokyo; running it through a temple precinct was controversial at the time.

Getting there

Keage Station on the Tozai subway line is about ten minutes' walk, through the Nejiri-Manpo, a spiral-brick tunnel under the old canal incline. From Kyoto Station, city bus 5 runs to the Nanzenji-Eikandomichi stop, leaving a ten-minute walk.

Tips

• The aqueduct is a small space and photographers queue there through November — first thing in the morning is the only reliable fix.
• The Hojo dry garden, attributed to Kobori Enshu and nicknamed the Tiger Cubs Crossing, is a separate 600 yen and much quieter than the grounds outside.
• Tenjuan, a sub-temple just inside the main gate, has both a pond garden and a dry garden, colours about a week earlier than the rest, and has run evening viewings in recent years.
• Eikando, the other headline maple temple of this district, is a ten-minute walk north and is best treated as a separate ticket and a separate hour.

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