Temple · Okazaki / Nanzen-ji
Nanzen-ji and Suirokaku Aqueduct 南禅寺・水路閣
One of Japan's most important Zen temples, with a towering Sanmon gate you can climb, a Kobori Enshu rock garden, and a red-brick Meiji aqueduct arching through the temple woods.
Sanmon gate (adult): ¥600
Nanzen-in (adult): ¥400
Grounds and Suirokaku: Free
About
Nanzen-ji began as the villa of Emperor Kameyama and became a Zen temple in 1291; it was later placed above all of Kyoto's and Kamakura's great Zen temples. The 22 m Sanmon gate, rebuilt in 1628, is one of Japan's three great gates, and its upper balcony, reached by steep stairs, looks out over the treetops toward the city; the kabuki thief Ishikawa Goemon supposedly exclaimed "What a view worth a thousand ryo!" from here. The Hojo abbot's quarters contain the "Tiger Crossing the Water" garden attributed to Kobori Enshu and fusuma paintings of tigers by the Kano school. Behind the main buildings the Suirokaku, a red-brick aqueduct of 1890 that carries Lake Biwa water through the temple precinct, adds an unexpected Roman touch and has become a favourite photo spot; you can climb the hill beside it to walk along the channel. The subtemple Nanzen-in, Tenju-an and Konchi-in have their own fine gardens.
Highlights
- The 22 m Sanmon gate with a climbable balcony view
- Hojo garden "Tora no Ko Watashi" attributed to Kobori Enshu
- Suirokaku, the 1890 red-brick aqueduct in the temple grounds
- Konchi-in's crane-and-turtle garden by Kobori Enshu
- Nanzen-ji tofu restaurants serving yudofu just outside the gate
Tips
- The grounds and aqueduct are free and open early; come before 8:30 for empty aqueduct photos.
- Follow the path up the left side of the aqueduct to walk along the canal toward the Keage Incline.
- Sanmon, Hojo garden and Nanzen-in each have a separate small fee.
- Okutan, just outside the precinct, has served yudofu since the 1630s; Junsei is the popular alternative.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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