How much does Byodo-in cost?

The garden and the Hoshokan museum cost ¥700 for adults, ¥400 for junior and senior high students and ¥300 for elementary students; there is no garden-only ticket. The Phoenix Hall interior is ¥300 more, paid in cash.

How do you see inside the Phoenix Hall?

Buy a timed ticket at the interior-tour desk in the garden, from 9:10 a.m., first come first served. Tours run every 20 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. and last about 15 minutes. From October 16, 2026 each tour takes 35 people; until October 15 a summer arrangement allows 30 and drops the tours at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30.

How long should I spend in Uji?

Byodo-in says about 40 minutes for its garden and museum, or 1.5 to 2 hours with its tearoom, shop and sub-temples, not counting any wait for the Phoenix Hall. With Ujigami Shrine, a tea stop and the river, plan on half a day.

How do you get to Uji from Kyoto?

Take the JR Nara Line from Kyoto Station to JR Uji, or the Keihan line from Gion or Kawaramachi to Keihan Uji, changing at Chushojima. Byodo-in is about 10 minutes on foot from either station.

Is Ujigami Shrine free?

Yes. It is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. (entry until 4:10 p.m.), and its main hall is the oldest surviving shrine building in Japan.

Can you combine Uji with Daigo-ji or Nara?

Yes. Daigo-ji is reached by changing to the Tozai Line at Rokujizo, and JR Nara Line trains continue south from Uji to Nara. Byodo-in and one of these make a full day.

Is Byodo-in wheelchair accessible?

The garden and the Hoshokan are. The garden paths are gravel, so Byodo-in lends low-vibration wheelchairs at both gates, and there are accessible toilets on the grounds and in the museum. The Phoenix Hall interior, part of the garden behind the hall and Saisho-in have steps.

Uji

ExploreJapanDaily Editorial Team · Last updated: September 28, 2026

Uji is a riverside town south of Kyoto, known for green tea and for Byodo-in, whose Phoenix Hall of 1053 is on the 10-yen coin. Byodo-in's garden and museum cost ¥700 (8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.), and a short guided visit inside the Phoenix Hall is ¥300 more on a timed ticket. Byodo-in is about 10 minutes on foot from both JR Uji and Keihan Uji stations.

Quick Answer

Hours

Byodo-in garden 8:45 AM to 5:30 PM (last entry 5:15 PM)

Admission

Byodo-in ¥700; Phoenix Hall interior ¥300 (cash); Ujigami Shrine free

Nearest Station

JR Uji or Keihan Uji, each about 10 min walk to Byodo-in

Best Time

A weekday morning; get the Phoenix Hall ticket first

Visit Duration

Half a day

A corner tower of Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall and a vermilion bridge reflected in the pond under a clear autumn sky

Area: Uji City
Best For: Matcha, Buddhist Art, UNESCO Heritage, Day Trips
Nearby: Fushimi Inari Taisha · Daigo-ji Temple

Visiting Uji

Uji is a small city on the Uji River, south of Kyoto on the JR Nara Line and the Keihan Uji Line. Its sights sit on both banks within walking distance: Byodo-in and the tea shops of its approach on the west bank, and Uji Shrine and Ujigami Shrine on the east.

Byodo-in began in 1052, when the regent Fujiwara no Yorimichi turned his father Michinaga's villa into a temple. The Phoenix Hall was dedicated the following year to house a gilded Amida Buddha by the sculptor Jocho, the only surviving work securely attributed to him, surrounded by 52 carved bodhisattvas riding on clouds. The hall stands on an island in its pond and faces east, so the Pure Land it represents lies to the west. The original bronze phoenixes from its roof and the temple bell are now in the Hoshokan museum.

Byodo-in's Phoenix Hall seen head-on across its pond, the gilded Amida Buddha visible through the central opening, with autumn leaves behind

Across the river, Ujigami Shrine's main hall dates from the Heian period and is the oldest surviving shrine building in Japan; it and the worship hall are National Treasures, and entry is free. Uji Shrine, just below it, is a separate shrine with its own vermilion gate.

The vermilion torii at the entrance to Uji Shrine, flanked by stone guardian lions

The street leading to Byodo-in is lined with tea merchants and cafes selling matcha, sencha and green-tea sweets, and the city's Tale of Genji Museum covers the novel's last ten chapters, which are set in Uji.

Byodo-in, in the right order

Short answer

Buy the timed Phoenix Hall ticket first, then see the garden and museum while you wait.

Enter the garden. Open from 8:45 a.m.; ¥700, and no re-entry.
Get a Phoenix Hall ticket. At the interior-tour desk in the garden from 9:10 a.m.; ¥300 cash; tours every 20 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 4:10 p.m.
Garden and Hoshokan. Walk round the pond and through the museum; about 40 minutes.
The Phoenix Hall. Be at the meeting point 5 minutes before your time; the tour lasts about 15 minutes.

When to go

Short answer

Weekday mornings have the shortest waits for the Phoenix Hall; spring and autumn weekends the longest.

Weekday mornings: The shortest waits for the Phoenix Hall interior.
Spring and autumn weekends: Waits of 1 to 2 hours are possible, and Byodo-in expects longer ones once tours are cut to 35 people on October 16, 2026.
Until October 15, 2026: Summer arrangement: 30 people per tour, and the tours at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 suspended.
Mid-April to early May: Wisteria by the Phoenix Hall pond.
Mid-November to early December: Maples around the Phoenix Hall.

Fitting Uji into a day

Short answer

Uji fills half a day; pair it with a sight on the same railway lines.

On the JR Nara Line

Fushimi Inari

Fushimi Inari Taisha at Inari, on the way back to Kyoto.

Via Rokujizo

Daigo-ji

Daigo-ji in the morning, Uji in the afternoon.

South on the JR Nara Line

Nara

Nara for the afternoon, with Byodo-in first thing.

Better on another day

Arashiyama

In the far north-west of Kyoto; give it its own day.

Byodo-in bans eating and outside food (sealed drinks are allowed), large camera gear, and photography inside the Phoenix Hall and the Hoshokan.

Uji, sight by sight

How to Get to Uji

Uji is south of Kyoto on two railways, the JR Nara Line to JR Uji and the Keihan Uji Line to Keihan Uji. Both stations are about 10 minutes on foot from Byodo-in.

💡Good to Know

•JR Uji or Keihan Uji, then about 10 minutes on foot to Byodo-in.
•Buy the Phoenix Hall interior ticket (cash) before you explore the garden.

Map

Best Time to Visit Uji

Best time to visit Uji: a weekday morning; spring and autumn weekends bring the longest waits for the Phoenix Hall interior. Weekday mornings are generally quieter than weekends and public holidays.

💡Good to Know

•Byodo-in opens at 8:45 a.m.; Phoenix Hall interior tickets are sold from 9:10 a.m., first come first served.
•Spring and autumn weekends bring the longest waits for the interior, and tours shrink to 35 people from October 16, 2026.
•Wisteria flowers from mid-April to early May; the maples turn from mid-November to early December.

Spring

Mid-April to early May

Wisteria on the trellis by the Phoenix Hall pond, said to be about 280 years old, with flower clusters more than a meter long.

Autumn

Mid-November to early December

About 200 maples color the square before the main gate and the grounds around the Phoenix Hall.

Entry Fee & Hours

🎟️

Admission

Byodo-in ¥700; Phoenix Hall interior ¥300 (cash); Ujigami Shrine free

⏰

Hours

Byodo-in 8:45 AM to 5:30 PM; Phoenix Hall tours 9:30 AM to 4:10 PM; Ujigami 9:00 AM to 4:20 PM

Byodo-in garden and Hoshokan museum

Byodo-in garden and Hoshokan museum admission prices in JPY and approximate USD
Category	Price (JPY)	Approx. (USD)
Adult	¥700	~$4.7
Junior and senior high school student	¥400	~$2.7
Elementary school student	¥300	~$2

Phoenix Hall interior (timed, cash only)

Phoenix Hall interior (timed, cash only) admission prices in JPY and approximate USD
Category	Price (JPY)	Approx. (USD)
All visitors	¥300	~$2

There is no garden-only ticket. Disability certificate holders and one companion pay half.

💡Good to Know

•There is no re-entry to Byodo-in, except that Phoenix Hall ticket holders may step out and return before their tour. Eating and bringing in food are not allowed; drinks in sealed bottles are.
•Photography is not allowed inside the Phoenix Hall, the Hoshokan or the stamp office. The Kannon-do stands behind barriers while work around it continues, and night viewings are suspended.

Nearby Attractions

Places to pair with Uji

Fushimi

Fushimi Inari Taisha

PhotographyHiking

At Inari, on the JR Nara Line back to Kyoto

Daigo-ji's vermilion Bentendo hall and bridge above its pond, among fresh green maples

Fushimi / Daigo

Daigo-ji Temple

Cherry BlossomsAutumn Foliage

North to Rokujizo, then the Tozai Line

📍Nearby

•Fushimi Inari Taisha (At Inari, on the JR Nara Line back to Kyoto): Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Japan's Inari shrines, with about 10,000 vermilion torii along the paths up Mount Inari in southern Kyoto. Entry is free, the grounds are always open, and you choose how far to climb.
•Daigo-ji Temple (North to Rokujizo, then the Tozai Line): Daigo-ji is a World Heritage temple in south-east Kyoto, with a pagoda completed in 951, the garden Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid out for his 1598 cherry-blossom party, and a mountaintop precinct, Kami-Daigo, whose trail is currently closed.

Two ways to spend a day in Uji

Both start at JR Uji or Keihan Uji.

Uji half day

About four hours.

8:45 a.m.
Byodo-in as it opens; buy the Phoenix Hall ticket first.
Mid-morning
The Phoenix Hall tour, then the Hoshokan.
Late morning
Tea on the approach, then across the river to Uji Shrine and Ujigami Shrine.

South-east day

A full day, with one change at Rokujizo.

Morning
Daigo-ji from 9:00 a.m.
Midday
Tozai Line to Rokujizo, then south to Uji.
Afternoon
Byodo-in; the last Phoenix Hall tour is at 4:10 p.m. and last entry to the garden 5:15 p.m.

See the full Luxury Japan: 14 Days of Ryokan and Fine Dining itinerary →