Guide · Culture
Tokyo, Kamakura and Nikko temples and shrines: fees, hours and winter times
Fees, hours, closed days and 2026-27 changes for seven Tokyo, Kamakura and Nikko sites, with an order that fits winter closing times.
Winter closing times decide the order of a Tokyo, Kamakura or Nikko temple day. Meiji Jingu closes at 16:00 in December, Nikko Toshogu at 16:00 from November, and Engakuji takes its last entry at 16:00 from December to February. Meiji Jingu is free on its official page, Nikko charges by building, and the three Kamakura temples cost $2 to $3 (¥300 to ¥500) each.
Each section gives fee, hours, closed days, booking and 2026-27 changes. A gap is marked not found once. No official page states a best season, so this guide gives dated events only, and no 2026-27 changes are found beyond those noted. Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.
For manners and the stamp desk, see Shrine and temple etiquette and Goshuin. The wider list is in the temples and shrines guide, the Kyoto sites are in their own guide, and the Culture hub holds the topic.
How do you choose between them?
Pick by what you want to see, then check the closing time.
- Free entry: Meiji Jingu, per its official page.
- Earliest start: Senso-ji, open from 06:00 (06:30 from October to March).
- Latest evenings: Kotoku-in, whose grounds stay open to 17:30 from April to September.
- Outdoor Great Buddha: Kotoku-in, in Kamakura.
- Eleven-headed Kannon: Hasedera, in Kamakura.
- Zen temple: Engakuji, one of the Kamakura Five Mountains.
- Carved shrine complex: Nikko Toshogu, the Tokugawa Ieyasu mausoleum.
Senso-ji
Senso-ji is Tokyo’s Kannon temple in Asakusa, dated to 628, with the Kaminarimon gate and a five-story pagoda. It is the 13th stop on the Bando 33 Kannon pilgrimage. The main hall is open 06:00 to 17:00, and from October to March it opens at 06:30. The official page gives hours for the main hall only and says to call for the other halls.
The official page states no entry fee, and an earlier regional note calls the grounds free, so treat that as unconfirmed. No closed days are listed, and a visit needs no booking. A prayer-tablet form is online with no rules or fees shown, and the office (03-3842-0181) answers from 09:00 to 16:30 on weekdays and is closed on Sundays and holidays.
The Hagoita-ichi market, with decorated paddles, runs in mid-December: in 2025 it ran 17 to 19 December, and the 2026 dates are unclear right now.
Meiji Jingu
Meiji Jingu is a Shibuya shrine to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, established in 1920. Entry is free, per the official visit page, and it is open every day from sunrise to sunset, so the closing time moves through the year:
- October: 05:40 to 16:40.
- November: 06:10 to 16:10.
- December: 06:40 to 16:00.
- January: 06:40 to 16:20.
- February: 06:20 to 16:50.
Some facilities run 09:00 to 16:00. No closed days are listed, and no booking is needed. The Inner Garden fee is not found. New Year hours have not been announced; Hatsumode and New Year and Japan New Year closures 2026-27 cover the season.
Nikko Toshogu and Rinnoji
Nikko charges by building, and both Toshogu and Rinnoji close at 16:00 from November to March. Toshogu is the Tokugawa Ieyasu mausoleum, a lavish carved shrine complex in Nikko, Tochigi. The official admission page carries no dated 2026-27 notice, so these fees are last known.
Toshogu, for adults and high school students; children are elementary and junior high pupils:
- Shrine only: $10 (¥1,600); children $4 (¥550).
- Shrine and Treasure Hall: $15 (¥2,400); children $6 (¥870).
- Treasure Hall alone: $6 (¥1,000); children $3 (¥400).
- Art museum: $5 (¥800); children $3 (¥400).
- Audio guide: $3 (¥500) a day, in Japanese, English and Chinese, rented after the front gate.
Toshogu is open 09:00 to 17:00 from 1 April to 31 October and 09:00 to 16:00 from 1 November to 31 March, and tickets end 30 minutes before closing. No closed days are listed, though areas may be restricted for festivals or repairs. No advance ticket is listed on the official pages. The office line is 0288-54-0560, and the news on its home page shows no fee or hours changes.
Rinnoji, also in Nikko, sells its own tickets, last known:
- Sanbutsudo: $3 (¥400); children $1 (¥200).
- Taiyuin: $4 (¥550); children $2 (¥250).
- Treasure House and Shoyoen: $2 (¥300); children $1 (¥100).
- Rinnoji set (Sanbutsudo and Taiyuin): $6 (¥900).
- Three-site set: $6 (¥1,000), sold at the window or as an e-ticket only.
Rinnoji is open 08:00 to 17:00 from April to October and 08:00 to 16:00 from November to March, with the Jogyodo opening at 09:00. The Rinnoji set has an earlier last entry: 14:30 from April to October and 13:30 from November to March. The Treasure House and Shoyoen close on 25 November 2026, 27 January 2027 and 25 March 2027. The Sanbutsudo closes all day on 3 February and 2 April; the page gives no year. Sales of the combined temple-shrine pass are suspended “for now”.
Photo rules are not found for either site. Call Toshogu on 0288-54-0560 or Rinnoji on 0288-54-0531.
Kotoku-in
Kotoku-in is the Kamakura temple of the outdoor bronze Great Buddha. Entry is $2 (¥300), and children aged 6 to 12 pay $1 (¥150). Entering the Buddha brings the ticket to $2 (¥350).
The grounds are open 08:00 to 17:30 from April to September and 08:00 to 17:00 from October to March. The interior closes at 16:30. Personal photos are free, commercial use needs prior permission, and drones and selfie sticks inside the statue are banned. Closed days are not found, and no booking is needed.
Hasedera
Hasedera is a Kamakura temple known for its eleven-headed Kannon and hillside views. Adults pay $3 (¥400) and children aged 6 to 11 pay $1 (¥200).
Hours depend on the month. From April to June it is open 08:00 to 17:30, with last entry at 17:00. From July to March it is open 08:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. Closed days and photo rules are not listed. No booking is needed; the temple’s line is 0467-22-6300.
Engakuji
Engakuji is a Zen temple, one of the Kamakura Five Mountains. Adults and high school students pay $3 (¥500); elementary and junior high pupils pay $1 (¥200).
It is open 08:30 to 16:30, and from December to February the last entry is 16:00. Closed days and photo rules are not stated. No booking is needed; the temple’s line is 0467-22-0478.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is a Kamakura shrine whose fee, hours, closed days and booking are not found, because its official site returns a certificate error. Confirm them on the official page before you add it to a day.
How to combine them
Closing times set the order, and Nikko needs a day of its own.
- Tokyo, one day: Start at Senso-ji, open from 06:00 (06:30 from October to March), and reach Meiji Jingu before its December closing at 16:00. Both open early, with Meiji Jingu at 06:40 in December. Check the travel time between them.
- Nikko, one day: The Tobu limited express from Asakusa takes about 2 hours and costs about $20 (¥3,050) one way, per secondary guides that range from $17 to $21 (¥2,700 to ¥3,200). Tobu’s Nikko Pass covers no shrine fees, so budget Toshogu and Rinnoji separately. In winter, buy the Rinnoji set before 13:30 and any Toshogu ticket before 15:30.
- Kamakura, one day: The JR Yokosuka line from Tokyo Station takes about 1 hour and costs $6 (¥920), per a secondary guide. In winter, see Engakuji first, from 08:30, because its last entry is 16:00 from December to February. Hasedera’s last entry is 16:30, and Kotoku-in’s grounds stay open to 17:00 and its interior to 16:30, so it suits the end of the day. Check the travel times between the Kamakura temples. Add Tsurugaoka Hachimangu only once you have its hours from the official page.
Admission for the three Kamakura temples, with the Buddha’s interior, adds up to $8 (¥1,250). Toshogu’s shrine-only ticket plus Rinnoji’s three-site set is $17 (¥2,600), both last known figures. Meiji Jingu is free and Senso-ji’s fee is not found, so there is no Tokyo total.
Fees and hours at a glance
| Site | Fee | Hours | Closed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senso-ji | Not found | Main hall 06:00 to 17:00; Oct to Mar from 06:30 | None listed | Fee unconfirmed |
| Meiji Jingu | Free | Sunrise to sunset; Dec 06:40 to 16:00 | None; open daily | Official; Inner Garden fee not found |
| Toshogu | $10 (¥1,600) shrine only; $15 (¥2,400) with Treasure Hall | Apr to Oct 09:00 to 17:00; Nov to Mar to 16:00 | None listed | Official, last known |
| Rinnoji | $3 (¥400) Sanbutsudo; $6 (¥900) set | Apr to Oct 08:00 to 17:00; Nov to Mar to 16:00 | Treasure House 25 Nov 2026 and 27 Jan 2027; Sanbutsudo 3 Feb and 2 Apr | Official, last known |
| Kotoku-in | $2 (¥300) | Apr to Sep 08:00 to 17:30; Oct to Mar to 17:00 | Not found | Official |
| Hasedera | $3 (¥400) | Apr to Jun 08:00 to 17:30; Jul to Mar to 17:00 | Not found | Official |
| Engakuji | $3 (¥500) | 08:30 to 16:30; Dec to Feb last entry 16:00 | Not found | Official |
| Tsurugaoka Hachimangu | Not found | Not found | Not found | Official site did not load |
Where next?
- The temples and shrines guide: every site in one table.
- Kyoto temples and shrines and Nara, Osaka, Koyasan, Ise and Nagoya: the next regions west.
- Western Japan temples and shrines and North and central Japan temples.
- Shrine and temple etiquette and Goshuin.
- Tokyo and Kanto: getting around, passes and winter closures.
- The Culture hub.
Questions
$10 (¥1,600) for the shrine alone, or $15 (¥2,400) with the Treasure Hall. These are last known fees: the official admission page carries no dated 2026-27 notice. Tickets stop 30 minutes before closing.
Entry is free, per the official visit page. It opens at sunrise and closes at sunset: 06:40 to 16:00 in December and 06:40 to 16:20 in January. The Inner Garden fee was not found.
The main hall opens at 06:00, or 06:30 from October to March, and closes at 17:00. The official page states no entry fee and lists no closed days.
Entry to Kotoku-in is $2 (¥300), or $2 (¥350) with the Buddha's interior. The grounds are open 08:00 to 17:00 from October to March, and the interior closes at 16:30.
At 16:00 from November to March, with last tickets 30 minutes earlier. Toshogu closes at 17:00 from April to October. Rinnoji's set of two buildings has a last entry of 13:30 from November to March.