Nishi Hongan-ji

Every day the monks lead a free tour, and there is no booking.

You go in through the gate without paying and without climbing a single step: the grounds are flat. Inside the Goeidō, the founder's hall, you take off your shoes and sit on the tatami (mats of rice straw) next to people who have come to pray. Every day the monks lead a tour of the complex, free, with no booking needed.

Head temple of one of the two branches of the Hongan-ji, in the Pure Land school. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Goeidō and the Amidadō, the two large halls, are National Treasures.

ℹ️ Free entry to the grounds, all on the level with no flights of steps, and it does not get as crowded as Higashiyama. Every day there is a guided tour led by the monks, with no booking. ⚠️ Opening hours are not stated on the home page: the website publishes the day's programme, to check before you go. ⚠️ The Hiunkaku, which is a National Treasure, appears among the properties open to visitors only during special openings of cultural properties: normally it cannot be visited.

🚉 Gojō · 13 min walk

Sources: hongwanji.kyoto

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