Temple · Uji

Byodo-in 平等院

Uji's Phoenix Hall, a weightless 1053 pavilion reflected in a pond and pictured on every 10-yen coin, with a superb modern museum of its Heian treasures.

About

Byodo-in was a villa of the Fujiwara regents converted into a temple in 1052, the year many believed the Buddhist age of decline began. Its Amida Hall, finished in 1053 and called the Phoenix Hall for the bronze phoenixes on its roof and its wing-like corridors, was built to evoke the Pure Land paradise and is one of the few surviving Heian wooden buildings. Inside sits a gilded Amida by the sculptor Jocho, surrounded by 52 small wooden Bodhisattvas riding clouds and playing instruments. The hall is pictured on the 10-yen coin and its phoenix on the 10,000-yen note. The Hoshokan museum, designed by Akira Kuryu and partly sunk into the ground, displays the original phoenixes, the temple bell and half the cloud-riding Bodhisattvas with exceptional lighting. Interior visits of the Phoenix Hall are by timed ticket in small groups and are worth it.

Highlights

• The Phoenix Hall and its reflection in Aji-ike pond
• Jocho's gilded Amida Nyorai, a National Treasure
• Hoshokan museum with the original bronze phoenixes and cloud-riding Bodhisattvas
• Wisteria trellis in late April and early May
• Uji tea houses and Byodo-in Omotesando street of matcha shops

Tips

• Buy the Phoenix Hall interior ticket as soon as you enter: slots every 20 minutes sell out on busy days.
• Check the official site for 2026 changes to interior tour capacity.
• Combine with Ujigami Shrine, the Tale of Genji Museum and Uji's matcha cafes; JR Nara Line from Kyoto takes 20 minutes.
• Morning light from the east bank of the pond gives the cleanest reflection.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Taihoan Tea House (Uji)Activities & Experiences · 80 m away
• Uji City Tourist CenterTourist Info · 110 m away
• Uji Park (Tonoshima and Tachibana Islands)Park · 110 m away
• Byodoin Omotesando (Uji)Shopping Street · 220 m away
• Uji BridgeBridge · 440 m away
• Ujigami ShrineShrine · 460 m away
• Nakamura Tokichi Honten (Uji)Café & Sweets · 550 m away
• Keihan Uji StationTransit Hub · 550 m away