# Anraku-ji > A small Pure Land temple behind a thatched gate, a few minutes off the Philosopher's Path, founded in memory of the monks Juren and Anraku, executed in 1207. It opens only on announced days in spring and autumn and on 25 July for its pumpkin memorial; entry is 500 yen. - Prefecture: Kyoto - Type: Temple - Address: Kyoto, Japan - Closed: Closed to the public except on the announced spring and autumn opening days and on 25 July for the pumpkin memorial. The schedule changes every year and is posted on the official site, the spring dates around February and the autumn dates in late July. - Hours note: On opening days the gate is open 10:00 to 16:00. For 2026 the temple announced 21 March to 5 April (cherry blossoms); 25, 26 and 29 April and 2 to 6 May (azaleas); 23 May to 6 June (satsuki azaleas); and 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 14 and 15 November and 21 November to 6 December (autumn leaves), opening at 12:00 on 8 November. The pumpkin memorial on 25 July runs 9:00 to 15:00. Dates change every year, so check the official site before you go. - Admission: 500 yen - Official site: https://anrakuji-kyoto.com/ - Hours and fees checked against the official site: 2026-11-02 Anraku-ji sits on the hillside a few minutes east of the Philosopher's Path, a few hundred metres south of Honen-in, behind a thatched gate rebuilt in 1892. Most days that gate is shut. The temple opens its main hall, study hall and garden only on announced days in spring and autumn, and on one summer day for its pumpkin memorial, so check the schedule before you plan a walk around it. The story it keeps is a sad one. In the early 1200s two disciples of the monk Honen, Juren and Anraku, ran a small hermitage for nembutsu chanting about a kilometre east of the present temple. At the end of 1206 Matsumushi and Suzumushi, two ladies-in-waiting to the retired emperor Go-Toba, became nuns there. Go-Toba was furious. Early the following year Juren was beheaded at Mabuchi in Omi province and Anraku on the Rokujo riverbank in Kyoto; Honen was exiled to Sanuki and his disciple Shinran to Echigo. After his return Honen rebuilt the hermitage in memory of the two monks and named it Anraku-ji. The main hall was rebuilt on this site in the Tenbun era (1532 to 1555). Memorial stones for the two monks and the two women stand in the grounds, and the temple is also called Matsumushi Suzumushi-dera. Inside the hall are figures said to show Honen at 74 and Shinran in travelling clothes on his way into exile. What you see depends on when you come. Cherry blossoms open the year in late March and early April, azaleas follow around the turn of April and May, and satsuki azaleas run from late May into early June. In autumn the temple opens again for the maples, from November into early December. On 25 July the temple holds the Kabocha Kuyo, a memorial for the Shishigatani pumpkin, a Kyoto heirloom variety shaped like a gourd. Visitors are given pumpkin to eat as a charm against palsy, a custom the temple traces to a revelation received by its Edo-period priest Shinku Ekizui. In 2026 it ran from 9:00 to 15:00 and entry was 1,000 yen. On opening days the gate is open from 10:00 to 16:00 and entry is 500 yen, free for junior high school students and younger. There is no parking. From Kyoto Station, take city bus 5 to Shinnyodo-mae and walk about 15 minutes east. ## FAQ ### How do I get to Anraku-ji? From Kyoto Station, take city bus 5 to Shinnyodo-mae and walk about 15 minutes east; bus 203 from Shijo-Kawaramachi or Gion stops there too. From Demachiyanagi (buses 17, 102, 203) or Jingu-Marutamachi (buses 93, 204), get off at Kinrinshako-mae and walk about 15 minutes east. The temple is a few minutes from the Philosopher's Path, so it fits a walk along the path. There is no parking. ### When is Anraku-ji open to the public? Only on announced days, from 10:00 to 16:00. In 2026 those were 21 March to 5 April for the cherry blossoms; 25, 26 and 29 April and 2 to 6 May for the azaleas; 23 May to 6 June for the satsuki azaleas; and 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 14 and 15 November and 21 November to 6 December for the autumn leaves (12:00 opening on 8 November). It also opens on 25 July for the pumpkin memorial. The dates change every year, so check the official site before you go. ### How much does it cost to visit Anraku-ji? Entry is 500 yen on the spring and autumn opening days, free for junior high school students and younger. On the pumpkin memorial day, 25 July, entry was 1,000 yen in 2026. ### What is the Kabocha Kuyo pumpkin memorial? Every year on 25 July the temple holds a memorial for the Shishigatani pumpkin, a gourd-shaped Kyoto heirloom variety, and gives visitors pumpkin to eat as a charm against palsy. The temple traces the custom to a revelation received by its Edo-period priest Shinku Ekizui. In 2026 it ran from 9:00 to 15:00 and entry was 1,000 yen. ### Who were Juren, Anraku, Matsumushi and Suzumushi? Juren and Anraku were disciples of the monk Honen who ran a nembutsu hermitage in Shishigatani. At the end of 1206 Matsumushi and Suzumushi, ladies-in-waiting to the retired emperor Go-Toba, became nuns there. The angry Go-Toba had both monks beheaded early in 1207 and exiled Honen and Shinran. Honen later rebuilt the hermitage in their memory as Anraku-ji, and memorial stones for all four stand in the grounds. --- Source: [Anraku-ji — Japan Voyage](https://travel.japanvoyage.jp/travel_destinations/anraku-ji) Last updated: 2026-11-02