Tofuku-ji Autumn Leaves: Tsutenkyo Hours, Fees and Booking

Autumn dates and opening hours

Tsutenkyo, the bridge at the centre of the autumn viewing, is the reason Tofuku-ji fills up in November. The temple's visiting information page sets out four periods:

The autumn row does not print a year, and the page says the autumn dates change every year. The page was last modified in July 2026 and already carries the fee change that starts on 1 November 2026, so the 14 November start is the temple's current plan. Check it again in the week before you go.

The useful detail is the half-hour head start. In autumn only Tsutenkyo opens at 8:30; the Hojo garden still opens at 9:00.

How much does Tsutenkyo cost in autumn?

Tofuku-ji sells two separate tickets, and the autumn rules change how they combine. From the visiting page and the fee change notice dated July 2026:

"Child" means elementary and junior high school students. The child price for Tsutenkyo in autumn differs between the two pages: the visiting page says ¥500, the fee notice ¥300. Budget for ¥500.

There are no group rates and no re-entry. Visitors with a disability certificate and one companion enter free. Neither page says which payment methods the ticket desks take, so carry enough yen in cash.

What to choose: if your time is short, Tsutenkyo alone is the autumn view. Add the Hojo garden (¥600) only if you have time left after the bridge; in autumn the two tickets are bought separately.

Do you need to book Tofuku-ji in autumn?

No booking system is listed for ordinary daytime visits. The visiting page uses no word for reservation or timed tickets; it only warns that the autumn period will be very crowded.

The one bookable product in 2025 was different. A temple notice from November 2025 explained that private early-morning and night viewings of Tsutenkyo were sold through JR Central's "Souda Kyoto, Ikou" campaign, that the temple itself could not take bookings, and that regular daytime visits needed none. The temple news list showed no equivalent 2026 announcement when we checked on 22 October 2026.

How to deal with the crowds on Tsutenkyo

The pressure point is the weekend. A temple notice for the 2025 season warned that Saturdays, Sundays and holidays would be very busy and that photography on Tsutenkyo might be restricted for safety. The current visiting page repeats it for both Tsutenkyo and the neighbouring Gaunkyo bridge: at busy times you may be asked not to take photos while on them.

That shapes the plan:

1. Go on a weekday if you can. The temple's warnings single out Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
2. Be at the Tsutenkyo entrance for 8:30. It opens half an hour before the Hojo garden.
3. Take photos from the viewing areas, not mid-bridge. If staff restrict photography, keep moving and use the ground-level paths.
4. Leave tripods at the hotel. Tripods, sketching, eating and drinking are not allowed in the grounds.

Hand-written goshuin stamps are not offered during the autumn period, according to the visiting page. Our goshuin guide explains how stamp collecting works at other temples.

Getting to Tofuku-ji

Arrive by train. The access page gives these routes, each ending in about a 10-minute walk:

• JR Nara Line from Kyoto Station to Tofukuji: about 3 minutes.
• Keihan Main Line from Gion-Shijo to Tofukuji: about 5 minutes.
• City bus 88 or 208 from Kyoto Station (about 15 minutes) or 202 or 207 from Gion, to the Tofukuji stop, then about 4 minutes on foot.

Kyoto's official guide to trains notes that Tofukuji Station is a transfer point between JR and Keihan, so you can arrive from either side of the city without a bus. Bus fares and passes are in our Kyoto bus and subway guide.

If Tsutenkyo is not worth the wait

When the queue at the bridge looks hopeless, you have two good switches. The Hojo garden is sold as a separate ticket and opens at 9:00, so you can visit it while the bridge queue eases. Or move your foliage plan to the evening: Eikando's autumn light-up starts on 20 November, and our list of Kyoto's autumn night illuminations compares the other gardens that open after dark.