Plan for late November. Kyoto’s famous temples usually colour from mid-November to early December, and the two 2026 forecasts we found put the Arashiyama peak between 13 and 25 November. Treat the peak as a window, not a date.
Three night illuminations are confirmed: To-ji (31 Oct to 13 Dec), Eikando (20 Nov to 6 Dec) and Kiyomizu-dera (21 to 30 Nov). Drag the date slider below to see which ones are open on your night.
Which night illuminations are on your night?
Dates, hours and prices below come from each temple’s official page and Kyoto City’s tourism listing, checked on 2 October 2026.
The date slider needs JavaScript. Without it, the bars and the three cards below still show every date.
Sat 31 Oct
31 Oct13 Dec
To-ji · 31 Oct to 13 Dec
Eikando · 20 Nov to 6 Dec
Kiyomizu-dera · 21 to 30 Nov
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To-ji
The first floor of the five-storey pagoda is not part of the night ticket. It is open in the daytime during a special opening from 31 Oct to 13 Dec. More in our To-ji guide.
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Eikando Zenrin-ji
The daytime autumn exhibition (11 Nov to 6 Dec, ¥1,500 general) and the illumination are separate sessions. Visitors are swapped out between them, so a daytime ticket does not let you stay for the evening.
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Kiyomizu-dera
The ¥500 and ¥200 prices and a 17:30 start come from the Kyoto City Tourism Association’s listing. The temple’s own night-viewing page gives the 21:30 closing and 21:00 last entry but does not state a fee, so confirm before you go. Normal opening hours are 6:00 to 18:00. More in our Kiyomizu-dera guide.
When will the leaves actually peak in 2026?
Two public forecasts disagree. tenki.jp (page read on 2 October) puts Kyoto’s Arashiyama from 13 November. Weathernews (first forecast, 3 September) expects about 24 to 25 November, depending on which of its pages you read. Weathernews listed a second forecast for early October that we could not find on 2 October, so check again closer to your dates.
- Takao (Jingo-ji)Usual window: early to late November (tenki.jp)Weathernews 2026: about 17 Nov
- EikandoUsual window: mid to late November (tenki.jp)
- ArashiyamaUsual window: mid November to early December (tenki.jp)Weathernews 2026: about 24 to 25 Nov. See the Arashiyama bamboo path guide.
- Kiyomizu-deraUsual window: late November to early December (tenki.jp)
- DaigojiUsual window: mid November to early December (tenki.jp)Weathernews 2026: about 24 Nov onward. See the Daigoji guide.
- KodaijiWeathernews 2026: about 25 Nov onward
Why advice from a few years ago can send you too early
The Japan Meteorological Agency’s records from 51 stations across Japan show the date maple leaves change colour getting later by about 3 days per decade since 1953 (3.0 days in the agency’s 2022 and 2023 reports). That is a national figure, not a Kyoto-only one. The Kyoto Local Meteorological Observatory’s own reference tree has a normal colour date of 5 December, and it came on 10 December in 2025. That tree is the observatory’s benchmark, not the peak at any one temple.
Kyoto’s accommodation tax went up in March 2026
The tax is charged per person, per night, on top of your room rate. It rose on 1 March 2026, and many guides still quote the old figures. The bracket depends on the room charge per person per night, not counting meals and consumption tax. For a shared room, Kyoto City’s FAQ divides the room charge by the number of guests: a ¥20,000 room for two counts as ¥10,000 each.
| Room rate per person, per night | Tax |
|---|---|
| Under ¥6,000 | ¥200 |
| ¥6,000 to under ¥20,000 | ¥400 |
| ¥20,000 to under ¥50,000 | ¥1,000 |
| ¥50,000 to under ¥100,000 | ¥4,000 |
| ¥100,000 and over | ¥10,000 |
The figures match Kyoto City’s published tax table. Room prices in November vary a lot by area and date, so check the real rate for your dates. Our where to stay in Kyoto guide compares the areas.
Getting around during the peak
Kyoto City runs a sightseeing express bus (EX100 and EX101, Kyoto Station to the Higashiyama area) for ¥500 adults and ¥250 children, on weekend and holiday timetables. We could not find an announcement of the autumn 2026 operating days on 2 October. Last year, Kyoto City announced the autumn operation on 20 October 2025: 22 to 24 and 29 to 30 November.
A separate “Kiyomizu Line” bus from Kyoto Station to Kiyomizu-dera, run by Keihan Bus, is listed for weekdays from 1 July 2026 to 29 January 2027, with a standard fare of ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children. It does not run on 13 and 14 August, 29 to 31 December or 4 January. The Kyoto Station to Gojozaka section is a reservation and seat-capacity system, and a trade-press report says you can board without a reservation if seats are free, so check the operator’s page before you rely on it.
Timing moves the official schedules support
We have not measured crowd levels, so these are timing choices rather than promises of quiet streets.
- Go in late November or early DecemberTo-ji runs until 13 December and Eikando until 6 December. The Weathernews forecast has Arashiyama, Daigoji and Kodaiji reaching colour from about 24 to 25 November.
- Arrive at Kiyomizu-dera at openingThe temple opens at 6:00 on normal days, so an early start is possible. We have not measured how crowded it is at that hour.
- Budget two tickets for EikandoDay and night are separate sessions. The daytime exhibition (¥1,500) and the night illumination (¥1,000) together come to ¥2,500 per person.
- Pick the To-ji night on purposeThe night ticket does not include the five-storey pagoda’s first floor, so go in the daytime if you want to go inside it.
For a full route that fits these temples into a trip, see our 3-day Kyoto itinerary.
FAQ
When is the best time to see autumn leaves in Kyoto in 2026?
Late November for most of the famous temples, with the Takao hills earlier and Daigoji and Kodaiji later. The forecasts differ: tenki.jp (read on 2 October) puts Arashiyama from 13 November, while Weathernews (3 September) expects about 24 to 25 November. Treat the peak as a window and check the next forecast updates.
Which temples have night illuminations in 2026?
Three that we checked on 2 October: To-ji (31 October to 13 December), Eikando (20 November to 6 December) and Kiyomizu-dera (21 to 30 November). Other temples may announce more, so check each temple’s official site.
Does the To-ji night ticket include the five-storey pagoda?
No. The night ticket covers the Kondo and Kodo halls only. The pagoda’s first floor is part of a daytime special opening from 31 October to 13 December.
Can I use one Eikando ticket for the day and the night?
No. The daytime exhibition and the illumination are separate sessions with a swap system, so you cannot stay on from the day into the evening.
What changed in Kyoto’s accommodation tax?
From 1 March 2026 the tax is ¥200, ¥400, ¥1,000, ¥4,000 or ¥10,000 per person per night, depending on the room rate bracket.
Will the sightseeing express bus run this autumn?
We could not find an announcement of the 2026 autumn operating days on 2 October. Last autumn, Kyoto City announced the operation on 20 October 2025: 22 to 24 and 29 to 30 November.
Illumination dates, hours and prices were checked on 2 October 2026 against the official pages of To-ji, Eikando and Kiyomizu-dera and the Kyoto City Tourism Association. Tax figures come from Kyoto City, forecasts from Weathernews and tenki.jp, and the colour-date statistics from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Dates and prices can change, and the forecasts will be updated, so confirm on each official site before you go.
