Nara, Osaka, Koyasan and Ise temples and shrines: fees and hours

Todai-ji in Nara is the temple of the Daibutsu, the Great Buddha, in its Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden). The hall costs $5 (¥800) and the museum $5 (¥800); a joint ticket is $8 (¥1,200). Children aged 6 to 12 pay $3 (¥400), or $4 (¥600) for the joint ticket.

The hall opens 07:30 to 17:30 from April to October and 08:00 to 17:00 from November to March. The museum runs 09:30 to 17:00, to 17:30 from April to October. Closed days are not stated on the official English pages. No booking is needed; the office line is 0742-22-5511. Smoking and drones are banned in the precinct; hall photo rules are not found.

Shigatsudo has been closed for earthquake-resistance work since 7 May 2025 and reopens on 17 January 2027, per Todai-ji’s official page. It issues no goshuin while closed, and Senjudo’s special viewing has ended.

Todai-ji is the one site with an official stamp fee: $2 (¥300) per goshuin. Stamps are issued at the Daibutsuden during hall hours, at the Hokkedo and Kaidando from 08:30 to 16:00, and at the Nigatsudo, Fudodo, Nenbutsudo and Sashizudo until 16:00. Stamp books cost $16 (¥2,500) for the purple design, $13 (¥2,000) for the large floral and $10 (¥1,500) for the small floral. More in Goshuin.

Kasuga Taisha is the lantern-lined shrine of Nara Park. The gate is open 06:30 to 17:30. The Omiya worship hall opens 06:30 to 17:30 from March to October and 07:00 to 17:00 from November to February. The grounds fee is not stated.

Two paid extras are listed:

• Honden special visit: $5 (¥700), 09:00 to 16:00.
• Man’yo Botanical Garden: $5 (¥700); $2 (¥300) for junior high and under; $4 (¥600) for adult groups of 20 or more. Open 09:00 to 16:30 with entry until 16:00.

The honden visit is closed 8 to 13 March, 20 December to 7 January, on Coming-of-Age Day and on other dates the page lists. The garden is closed on Tuesdays from June to March (open if the Tuesday is a holiday) and open daily in April and May. Garden hours change from 2 November 2026; the new times are not found.

Goshuin, omamori and ofuda are available year-round from 09:00 until the gate closes. A seasonal goshuin meguri event is listed, and its fee is not stated. Pets, small drones and smoking are banned. An official PDF on photography within the grounds exists; its rules and Nara Park’s deer rules are not found. No booking is needed.

Horyu-ji, in Ikaruga, Nara, is a UNESCO-listed ancient wooden temple with the Yumedono and the Saiin and Toin precincts. The figures below come from the temple’s official visitor information page as shown in a search summary, because the home page returns a certificate error.

One ticket covers Saiin, Daihozoin and Toin. It is cash only, with no refunds.

• Adult, university and high school: $13 (¥2,000).
• Junior high: $11 (¥1,700). Elementary: $6 (¥1,000).
• Adult groups of 30 or more: $10 (¥1,600). Disability: $6 (¥1,000).

Hours are 08:00 to 17:00 from 22 February to 3 November and 08:00 to 16:30 from 4 November to 21 February. Entry ends 30 minutes before closing, so winter last entry is 16:00. No closed days are listed, and no booking is needed.

A special exhibition at the Daihozoden ran 24 April to 14 June 2026 at $3 (¥500) and has ended. A 2027 exhibition is not found.

Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka is the shrine of the sea deities, the Sumiyoshi Sanjin. It has the Sorihashi bridge, main halls in the Sumiyoshi-zukuri style that are National Treasures, and about 2 million visitors at hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year. The official FAQ states no entry fee.

The main hall opens 06:00 to 17:00, and 06:30 to 17:00 from October to March. Amulets are sold 09:00 to 17:00 and prayers are taken 09:00 to 15:50. Holiday and festival hours may differ. The shrine lists no regular closed days. Prayer is arranged at the reception desk, with no separate booking listed. Parking is closed from 31 December to 3 January.

Prayer fees were revised in a notice dated 31 August 2025, and a festival parking notice was posted on 1 July 2026. 2026-27 hatsumode hours are not found; check the shrine’s notices in December, and see Japan New Year closures 2026-27 for what else shuts.

Koyasan, in Koya, Wakayama, is Kukai’s mountain, with the Okunoin cemetery and temple lodging (shukubo). A grounds fee, closed days and 2026-27 changes are not found.

Okunoin’s Torodo, the lantern hall, opens 06:00 to 17:00, and its ticket booth 08:30 to 17:00. Hours extend on 1 January (midnight to 14:00) and on Mando evenings (19:00 to 21:00). The Mandoe-e lantern ceremony is held in the Torodo from 1 to 3 October each year. Okunoin’s grounds hours and Kongobu-ji’s hours and fee were not found.

The official guidance page sets the rules:

• Dress modestly: no revealing tops, short skirts or shorts, and shoulders covered. Entry to Okunoin may be refused otherwise.
• Hat off at gates, a gassho bow, and hands purified at the chozuya.
• Smoke only in designated areas, and keep vehicles and bicycles out of sacred areas.
• Photography is prohibited in designated areas, so confirm before shooting.
• A yukata is for indoors only. Change for the main hall or morning service, and never wear one at Danjo Garan or Okunoin.

Book a stay through the Koyasan Shukubo Association’s booking site or on 0736-56-2616. An association-wide price range is not found. One temple, Fugen-in, lists a two-meal plan from $90 (¥14,000) to $140 (¥22,000) per adult, tax included, bath tax extra, as minimum prices that vary by date. Meals are vegetarian and morning prayer is at 06:30, with photos allowed without flash. Tattoo wording is not stated on the association pages. Koyasan temple stay has the detail.

Ise Jingu in Ise, Mie, is Japan’s most sacred shrine complex. It has two main parts: Naiku (1 Ujitachi-cho) and Geku (279 Toyokawa-cho). The official access page advises visiting Geku first, then Naiku.

The visiting page gives one schedule for both, with no Naiku and Geku split:

• October to December: 05:00 to 17:00.
• January to April and September: 05:00 to 18:00.
• May to August: 05:00 to 19:00.

The official pages state no entry fee, so free entry is not confirmed; closed days are not stated either. No booking is needed.

The rules on the official page:

• Purify at the temizu.
• Bow twice, clap twice, bow once.
• No photos at the praying area in front of the sanctuary.
• No eating, drinking or smoking outside designated areas.

Dress is not addressed. From October to December the complex closes at 17:00, the earliest of the year, so plan both parts to fit before then. No 2026-27 changes are found.

Atsuta Jingu in Nagoya is the shrine of the Kusanagi sword, with a treasure hall and the Kusanagi-kan. Its official site returns a 503 error, so the grounds fee and hours are not found; the treasure hall details below come from a search summary.

The treasure hall costs $3 (¥500) for adults, last known and undated, or $5 (¥800) combined with the Kusanagi-kan. It opens 09:00 to 16:30 with last entry at 16:00. It is listed as closed on the last Thursday and the day before, and from 25 to 31 December; the listing does not say which months. A temporary closure notice dated 30 January 2025 exists, and whether the hall has reopened is unknown.

No booking is listed, and 2026-27 changes are not found. Treat every Atsuta figure as last known and check the shrine’s notices before building a trip around the treasure hall.

These sites sit in different places, so group them by area, and let opening hours set the order within each.

• Nara: Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha are both in Nara. Kasuga’s gate opens at 06:30, ahead of Todai-ji’s hall at 08:00 from November to March. In winter Todai-ji’s hall and Kasuga’s worship hall both close at 17:00.
• Ikaruga: Horyu-ji is in Ikaruga, Nara, and its last entry is 16:00 from 4 November to 21 February.
• Koyasan: the Torodo opens at 06:00, and Fugen-in’s morning prayer is at 06:30. A temple night makes both possible.
• Ise: visit Geku first, then Naiku, on one schedule. From October to December both close at 17:00.
• Osaka: Sumiyoshi Taisha’s main hall opens at 06:30 from October to March.
• Nagoya: Atsuta Jingu’s treasure hall closes at 16:30, and its status is unconfirmed.

Check travel times between them in advance; Kansai covers rail passes, lodging tax and getting around.

• Kyoto temples and shrines: Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji and four more.
• Koyasan temple stay: booking, meals and rules.
• The temples and shrines guide: every site in one table.
• Shrine and temple etiquette and Goshuin.
• Kansai: seasons, passes and lodging tax.
• The Culture hub.