Kiyomizu-dera Temple | The Best Time To Visit in 2024

The best time to visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple is in the spring and fall seasons. In the spring, the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and the temple grounds are awash in color. In the fall, the leaves change color, creating a stunning display.

However, the best seasons are also the busiest times of year. It’s great to plan ahead and avoid the crowds, you can have a much more enjoyable time at Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
Here is the best time to visit the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and how to avoid the crowds.

What is Kiyomizudera temple

Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a famous Buddhist temple located in Kyoto’s eastern Higashiyama district, was founded by the monk Enchin. Inspired by the pure water cascading from Mount Otowa, he envisioned this place of worship. In 798, Japanese military leader Sakanoue no Tamuramaro oversaw the construction of the temple’s main hall.

The buildings are also steeped in history. For example, the wooden stage that stand out from the main hall and the Otowa Waterfall, which is said to have three different benefits. Another unique feature is the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism architecture found throughout the temple.
At the entrance, there are the Buddhist Niomon Gate, which is guarded by two guardian kings, and the Shinto komainu, or lion-dog statues. There is also a Jinshu Shrine, sub-shrine of Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Best time of the day to visit

The shopping streets leading to Kiyomizu-dera temple are crowded with many tourists in the high season(March, April, November and December) .

How to avoid crowd

• Visit the temple around 8:00 a.m.
  
  There are few people around at this time. In addition, you can enjoy local flavors at Sannenzaka Street and Ninenzaka Street, where shops open around 9:00 a.m.
  
• Visit at 6:00 a.m. in spring and summer, 7:00 a.m. in fall and winter
  
  If you’re looking for a special experience, I recommend visiting early in the morning. By arriving at 6 a.m. in spring and summer or 7 a.m. in fall and winter, you can enjoy a peaceful moment at Kiyomizu-dera Temple while watching the sunrise. Since there are fewer people at this time, you can take beautiful photos of the wooden stage of Kiyomizu-dera and Kyoto city from Okunoin, a popular spot for photography.
  
• Avoid weekends and holidays.
  
  Kiyomizu-dera is also popular among Japanese people, and it gets crowded with domestic tourists on weekends and holidays.
  
• Book a tour guide
  
  Local tour guides would know more about less crowded paths and times. One-day tours covering various parts of Kyoto are popular among tourists as they offer a deeper understanding of Kiyomizu-dera Temple and other spots.
  
• Kyoto provides a congestion forecast website that allows you to obtain advance information on crowd levels around Kiyomizu-dera temple area.
  Congestion Forecast Service Website
  

Best seasons

Autumn Season(Middle to Late November)

Kiyomizu-dera is the most famous spot to see autumn leaves in Kyoto. There are over 1000 Japanese maple trees on the hillside and around the wooden stage. Although there are many gardens where maple trees grow, mainly maple trees in Kiyomizu-dera garden are only one species, which is Japanese maple tree, whose leaves change color at the same time. In the fall season, these trees turn a gradient fire color from yellow to red, and the view is breathtakingly beautiful.

Generally, most of the maple tree leaves start changing color from the middle to late fall season. In 2023, the peak time of fall leaves of most Japanese maple trees in Kiyomizu-dera was from the 3rd week to the 4th week of November. However, as the cold weather is expected to come later in 2024, the peak of maple leaf color is likely to be from late November to early December. Azaleas, which are shrubs planted along the walking path, were also beginning to turn red color. If you want to decide on the date to visit in fall foliage, this forecast site can help.

Fall Foliage Forecast Site

If you visit Kiyomizu-dera after the peak of the maple leaf season, I recommend admiring the lighthouse azaleas along the strolling path. These plants retain their fall colors for a long time, and you can enjoy their bright red and orange leaves.

If you visit before the maple leaves turn, the cherry blossom leaves that grow in Kiyomizu-dera will turn earlier. In addition, Maruyama Park has cherry trees that change color 2weeks earlier than maple trees. It’s a 15-minute walk away from Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

Spring Season(Late March to Early April)

The spring is also good season to visit Kiyomizu-dera Temple.“Somei-Yoshino“ cherry trees, which most familiar cherry blossom attract tourists. All Somei-Yoshino trees produce pale pink 5-petals flowers at the same time, because of identical gene, propagated by grafting onto other stick. During the cherry blossom season, Kiyomizu-dera Temple also offers special night viewing. The sight of the cherry blossoms in full bloom, illuminated by lights, is simply breathtaking and beyond words.

Although cherry blossoms views with Kiyomizu-dera Temple are stunning, it is short bloom time around 7 – 10 days.
The cherry blossoms bloomed later than normal in 2024 because of a cold spell. They began to bloom on March 29th and reached full bloom on April 3rd.

If you want to decide on the date to visit, cherry blossom forecast site can help.

Cherry Blossom Forecast Site

There are long wisteria garden arches in front of Kiyomizu-dera gate. Typically one month after cherry tree bloomed, Japanese wisteria make beautiful lavender lace flowers, one of the Kiyomizu-dera beautiful spots. Those arches are also used for shady resting place. 
Japanese azalea, planted beside the strolling path for Japanese garden shrubs, also make cute pink and white flowers at the same time.

if you visit before blooming period of Somei-yoshino, there are early blooming cherry blossom in Kyoto area. I recommend to see weeping cherry blossoms in Maruyama Park and Honmanji Temple bloom a week earlier than Somei-yoshino.

Summer season(August.8th to 16th)

Summer is also a best time to visit. At Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the main image of the temple, “Kannon Bosatsu,” is open to the public from August 9 to 16 in a special room in the main hall. In addition, this period is designated as “Sen-nichi Mairi,” during which it is believed that visiting the temple is equivalent to the great merit of worshipping Kannon Bosatsu for a thousand days. From August 14 to 16, the temple is open at night, and the historic buildings of Kiyomizu-dera are illuminated, creating a magical atmosphere.

During the summer season, the maple trees at Kiyomizu-dera produce fresh green leaves and provide shade from the hot sun, making the temple a popular summer retreat.

Special Night Viewing Event

Kiyomizu-dera Temple holds a special night viewing event for a short period of time every spring, summer, and autumn, which is very popular.

The main building, the wooden stage, the three-storied pagoda, and the Niomon Gate are all lit up. In addition, the seasonal trees are also illuminated, creating a magical scene with cherry blossoms in full bloom in spring and red leaves in autumn. And above all, a single beam of blue light, symbolizing the compassion of Kannon, is cast into the Kyoto night sky.

For more information, please see the related post.

Information

①Kiyomizu-dera temple

Open hours

※Temple is closed during after day time and before night time(5:30p.m. – 6:30p.m.)


Admission

※Children are under 15 years of age.

②Jojuin temple

Open hours

Admission

Regular holiday
None

Address
1 Chome-294 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0862

How to get to Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Kyoto’s roads are jammed with tourists during the high season If you want to get to the temple on time, I recommend taking the train and walking instead of taking a bus or taxi.

By train and walking

• From JR Kyoto Station, take the Nara Line(Brown Line) to Tofukuji Station, then transfer to the Keihan Main Line(Orange Line) and get off at Kiyomizu-gojo Station. It’s a 20-minutes walking from Keihan Main Line Kiyomizu-Gojo station to Kiyomizu-dera temple.

• Two routes
  If you go to Kiyomizu Temple from the nearest station, Kiyomizu-Gojo Station, there are two routes: “Gojo Street” and “Sannenzaka Street“. Gojo Street is less crowded. On the other hand, the Sannenzaka Street route has become a tourist spot where you can see the five-story pagoda of Hokan-ji on the way to the temple.
  

By bus

• Using buses in the off-season
  When it’s not high season, the bus is also a convenient way to get to the temple on time. It’s an 11-minute walk from the nearest bus stop: Kiyomizu michi to Kiyomizu-dera Temple.

By car

• If you’re planning to drive to Kiyomizudera Temple, I recommend a parking lot that can accommodate up to 59 cars. It’s a 7-minute walk from the temple and is open 24 hours a day. You’re most likely to find a parking space during the off-peak months of January, February, July, and August.

Famous Photo Spot

If you’d like to enjoy both the Kiyomizu-dera stage and the autumn foliage, I recommend viewing them from the “Okunoin“. The valley below the stage is called “Kinunkkei,” and in the fall, the trees turn a fiery red.

Three-story pagoda is one of the tallest in Japan at approximately 10ft(31m) . It is a symbolic landmark of Kyoto, visible from many points in the city.
For those who want to enjoy both the Three-Story Pagoda and the fall foliage, a spot where you can look up at the pagoda is recommended. The vermilion-painted pagoda and the crimson autumn leaves create a vivid gradation.

Camera Use Policy

・Photography using drones, monopods or tripods, and video recording using a gimbal are prohibited.

・Unauthorized filming of weddings, cosplay, or fashion shoots with models is also prohibited.

Dress Code

There is no dress code at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, but since there are inclines, sandy areas, and stairs on the way to the temple and within the temple grounds, it is recommended that you wear comfortable shoes.

Flowers and seasons

※The time when the flowers bloom varies slightly depending on the year.

Flower	Month
Plum blossom	Mid Feb – Early Mar
Cherry blossom	Late Mar – Early Apr
Japanese azalea	Mid Apr – Early May
wisteria	late Apr – Early May
Japanese maple tree (fall foliage)	Late Apr -Early May

Link and resource

Official website
Kiyomizu-dera temple(EN)

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