Tenryu-ji Admission, Hours & Access: Arashiyama, Kyoto
Tokyo Mate
The first thing to check before visiting Tenryu-ji in Kyoto's Arashiyama is the difference between the 500 yen and 800 yen tickets. The garden alone is 500 yen for high school students and older; add the Large Hojo, Small Hojo and Tahoden and it is 300 yen more, 800 yen in total.
Tenryu-ji was the first stop of my Kyoto trip. Starting with Sogenchi Teien, Arashiyama's best-known garden, here is what you need before you go: opening hours, admission, how to get there, and the route on to Chikurin.
Tenryu-ji admission and hours
Tenryu-ji admission is 500 yen for high school students and older if you only see the garden, or 800 yen if you add the Large Hojo (ceremonial hall), Small Hojo (reception hall) and Tahoden. The cloud dragon painting in the Hatto (Dharma Hall) is a separate 500 yen.
Tenryu-ji (天龍寺) in Saga-Arashiyama, Kyoto, is the head temple of the Tenryu-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. It was founded in 1339 to pray for the repose of Emperor Go-Daigo, with Ashikaga Takauji backing its founding and the Zen monk Muso Soseki leading it.
The temple went through several fires and wars after that, and the main buildings standing today, including the Hatto, the Large Hojo and the Kuri, are mostly reconstructions from the Meiji era onward. It is now one of the temples that make up the UNESCO World Heritage site "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".
📍 View Tenryu-ji on Google Maps
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Tenryu-ji 天龍寺 |
| Hours | Garden 8:30-17:00 (last entry 16:50) Temple buildings 8:30-16:45 (last entry 16:30) Hatto 9:00-16:30 (last entry 16:20) |
※ On some days viewing of the temple buildings and the Hatto is restricted.
※ From 14 to 30 November 2026 there is special early garden entry, and you can enter at the garden reception from 7:30 a.m. The north gate reception opens from 8:30 a.m.
The difference between 500 yen and 800 yen
The two tickets cover different areas.
The 500 yen ticket is a garden ticket for Sogenchi Teien (曹源池庭園), Tenryu-ji's signature garden, and the Hyakka'en (百花苑) to the north.
The 800 yen ticket adds a 300 yen temple fee to the garden fee and also gets you into the Large Hojo (大方丈), the Small Hojo (小方丈) and the Tahoden (多宝殿).
So choose 500 yen if you only want the garden, and 800 yen if you also want to see inside Tenryu-ji's buildings.
| What you can see | Price |
|---|---|
| Sogenchi Teien (曹源池庭園) Hyakka'en (百花苑) | High school and older 500 yen Elementary and junior high 300 yen Preschool children free |
| Sogenchi Teien (曹源池庭園) Hyakka'en (百花苑) Large Hojo (大方丈) Small Hojo (小方丈) Tahoden (多宝殿) | High school and older 800 yen Elementary and junior high 600 yen Preschool children 300 yen |
The cloud dragon painting isn't included even at 800 yen
To see the cloud dragon painting (雲龍図) on the Hatto ceiling costs 500 yen per person, separate from the garden and building fees.
For high school students and older, seeing the garden, the main buildings and the cloud dragon comes to 1,300 yen in total. For elementary and junior high students it is 1,100 yen, and preschool children see the cloud dragon free.
The cloud dragon is generally shown on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and in spring and autumn there are periods when it is open every day. Whether it is open depends on the date of your visit.
The viewing route on the precinct map
Tenryu-ji is laid out starting from the Kuri and the Large Hojo in the south, then Sogenchi Teien to the west, and the Tahoden and Hyakka'en to the north.
If you are seeing the main buildings and the garden on the 800 yen ticket, this order makes a natural route.
Kuri (庫裏) → Large Hojo (大方丈) → Small Hojo (小方丈) → Sogenchi Teien (曹源池庭園) → Tahoden (多宝殿) → Hyakka'en (百花苑) → North gate
Leave through the north gate after the Hyakka'en and you come straight out toward the Arashiyama bamboo grove, Chikurin. If you plan to take in the bamboo grove after Tenryu-ji, heading for the north gate rather than going back to the main gate makes the route easier.
How to get to Tenryu-ji
Tenryu-ji is in the middle of Arashiyama, and you can get there by JR, Hankyu, the Randen or bus.
| Transport | Station / stop | To Tenryu-ji |
|---|---|---|
| Randen | Arashiyama Station | 5 min walk |
| JR Sagano Line | Saga-Arashiyama Station | 13 min walk |
| Hankyu | Arashiyama Station | 15 min walk |
| Kyoto City Bus 11, 28, 93 Kyoto Bus 90, 92, 94 | Arashiyama Tenryuji-mae (Randen Arashiyama Station) | About 2 min walk |
| Kyoto City Bus 11, 93 Kyoto Bus 63, 66, 73, 76 | Arashiyama (Togetsukyo Kitazume) | About 5 min walk |
By train
You can reach Tenryu-ji on the Randen, JR or Hankyu. Which line is most convenient depends on where you are coming from.
① Randen Arashiyama Station
The Keifuku Electric Railroad Arashiyama Line, known as the Randen, runs from Shijo-Omiya Station to Arashiyama Station.
Shijo-Omiya to Arashiyama takes about 24 minutes, and from Arashiyama Station it is about 5 minutes on foot to Tenryu-ji, the closest of the three lines.
② JR Saga-Arashiyama Station
If you are starting from Kyoto Station, the JR Sagano Line is convenient.
After riding from JR Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama Station, it is about 13 minutes on foot to Tenryu-ji. If you are going straight from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama, the journey time is more predictable than the bus.
③ Hankyu Arashiyama Station
From the Osaka Umeda side you can use the Hankyu line.
Take the Hankyu Kyoto Line from Osaka-umeda Station, change to the Arashiyama Line at Katsura Station, and get off at Arashiyama Station. From Hankyu Arashiyama Station it is about 15 minutes on foot to Tenryu-ji, crossing Togetsukyo Bridge. At Katsura Station the Kyoto Line connects with the Arashiyama Line.
By bus
Of the buses from Kyoto Station, I compared the two I checked this time: Kyoto City Bus 28 and Kyoto Bus 73. Both leave from stop C6 in front of Kyoto Station, but they get off at different stops and cost different amounts.
① Kyoto City Bus 28
Take Kyoto City Bus 28 and get off at Arashiyama Tenryuji-mae (Randen Arashiyama Station). The stop is right in front of Tenryu-ji, so there is no long walk.
| Board at Kyoto Station | Get off at | Time (fare) |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Ekimae stop C6 📍 View on Google Maps | Arashiyama Tenryuji-mae (Randen Arashiyama Station) 📍 View on Google Maps | 47 min (230 yen) |
② Kyoto Bus 73
Kyoto Bus 73 also leaves from the same stop C6. It goes from Kyoto Station to Arashiyama (Togetsukyo Kitazume, 渡月橋北詰) without a change, and from there it is about a 5-minute walk to Tenryu-ji. The 73 reaches Arashiyama via Shijo Karasuma, Nishioji Shijo, Uzumasa Tenjingawa Station, Uzumasa Koryuji and other stops.
| Kyoto Station stop | Stop for Tenryu-ji | Time (fare) |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Ekimae stop C6 📍 View on Google Maps | Arashiyama (Togetsukyo Kitazume) 📍 View on Google Maps | 53 min (450 yen) |
Comparing the two, the 28 drops you right in front of Tenryu-ji and costs 230 yen, which makes it the easy choice if you are going straight from Kyoto Station to Tenryu-ji alone. The 73 also needs no change, but you get off on the north side of Togetsukyo Bridge, walk about 5 minutes, and pay more.
That said, roads around Arashiyama can get congested at busy tourist times.
If you're using a transport pass
On a day when you are also moving around central Kyoto, not just Arashiyama, it is best to compare transport passes against the whole day's route.
If you will take the bus several times, look at the Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass; if the day combines the subway and the Randen, compare the Kyoto Subway & Randen 1day Ticket. Don't buy a pass just for Tenryu-ji, though. Add up the whole day's fares, including getting around the city afterwards, and then choose.
👉 Kyoto Subway & Bus 1-Day Pass: Price & Where to Buy
Tenryu-ji Sogenchi Teien
Tenryu-ji's main sight is Sogenchi Teien (曹源池庭園).
Muso Soseki laid it out about 700 years ago, and you walk slowly around the Sogenchi pond at its center taking in the view. The pond and trees run naturally into Arashiyama and Kameyama behind them, so the whole scene looks like one large garden.
From Sogenchi Teien to the Hyakka'en
After Sogenchi Teien you can head toward the Tahoden (多宝殿) and carry on to the Hyakka'en (百花苑) in the north.
The Hyakka'en is a garden laid out along the path from the Tahoden to the north gate, with a walking path that follows the natural slope. Follow it north and you reach Tenryu-ji's north gate.
Arashiyama Chikurin and Togetsukyo Bridge
After Tenryu-ji I walked through the Chikurin bamboo grove, went down through the Kameyama area of Arashiyama Park to the Hozu River bank, and on to Togetsukyo Bridge.
Tenryu-ji north gate → Chikurin → Kameyama Park → Hozu River bank → Togetsukyo Bridge → Randen Arashiyama Station
From Tenryu-ji to Chikurin
Leave Tenryu-ji by the north gate when you're done and you come straight out onto the Arashiyama bamboo grove path (竹林の小径).
Chikurin is a bamboo grove path of about 400m that runs from Nonomiya Shrine past Tenryu-ji's north gate toward Okochi Sanso. Tall bamboo lines both sides, and it is one of the views Arashiyama is known for.
📍 View Chikurin on Google Maps
Kameyama area of Arashiyama Park
After Chikurin I went down to the Hozu River bank through the Kameyama area of Arashiyama Park (嵐山公園 亀山地区).
Arashiyama Park is divided around Togetsukyo Bridge into the Kameyama, Nakanoshima and Rinsenji areas, and the Kameyama area is upstream of the bridge. The walk from Chikurin through the park down to the Hozu River bank is a pleasant route.
Once you reach the riverbank you can also see the landing for the Hozugawa river boat ride (保津川下り 着船場). This is where the boats arrive in Arashiyama and passengers get off, not where you board.
📍 View Arashiyama Park on Google Maps
Along the Hozu River to Togetsukyo Bridge
Follow the riverbank down and you reach Togetsukyo Bridge (渡月橋), Arashiyama's best-known sight.
Togetsukyo crosses the Katsura River, and the bridge in use today was completed in 1934. You can see Arashiyama's mountains and river together from it, so it draws especially large numbers of travelers in cherry blossom season in spring and autumn foliage season.
📍 View Togetsukyo Bridge on Google Maps
After Togetsukyo I went to Randen Arashiyama Station and headed for Shijo-Omiya Station. The station is only about 2 minutes on foot from Togetsukyo Bridge, which made it an easy way to finish the Arashiyama part of the day.
Extra: places you can add
Around Chikurin there are also places I didn't fit into this route but that you can visit along the way.
① Okochi Sanso Garden (大河内山荘庭園)
A garden near the west end of Chikurin, created by the actor Okochi Denjiro. Admission is currently 1,000 yen for adults and high school and university students, and it is open 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30).
② Sagano Scenic Railway
Close to the west end of Chikurin is Torokko Arashiyama Station (トロッコ嵐山駅). The Sagano Scenic Railway is a sightseeing train that runs from Torokko Saga Station via Torokko Arashiyama and Torokko Hozukyo stations to Torokko Kameoka Station.
Through Tenryu-ji's quiet garden, into the Chikurin bamboo grove, through Kameyama Park and along the Hozu River bank, before you know it you arrive at Togetsukyo Bridge. What I liked was how the temple, the forest, the river and the mountains all ran together like one path.
🧡 Tokyo Mate Kyoto Guides
If you are planning a trip to Arashiyama, have a look at how to get to Kyoto and a good place to eat near Kyoto Station too.