Uji Day Trip from Kyoto (2026): Byodo-in, the Phoenix Hall Interior Tour, Matcha and the Nintendo Museum
Uji is the easiest half-day from Kyoto: one JR line, no booking for the town or Byodo-in, and a town famous for its matcha. The only thing that sells out is the Phoenix Hall interior tour, and you can only get it at the temple on the day.
Since October 16, 2026, each interior tour takes 35 people instead of 50, so arrive in the morning if seeing inside matters to you.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. Byodo-in tickets are sold only at the temple.
How do you get from Kyoto to Uji?
Two railways go to Uji, and the stations are on opposite banks of the river. Byodo-in is on the JR side; the Keihan station is across the Uji Bridge. Both are a short walk from the temple.
JR Nara Line
Kyoto → Uji with no change; rapid trains skip some stops and are the fastest. The same line stops at Inari (Fushimi Inari) on the way.
Keihan Line
Change at Chushojima for the Keihan Uji Line. Better if you're staying east of the river.
Byodo-in: tickets, hours and the Phoenix Hall interior
The entrance ticket covers the garden and the Hoshokan Museum. The Phoenix Hall interior is a separate short guided visit that you join inside the grounds.
- Pay the entrance fee at the main gate. There is no online ticket. The official site doesn't say whether cards are accepted, so carry some cash.
- Go straight to the interior-tour reception in the garden. Buy a ticket for the next free time. The temple says the reception may close early once the day's tours are full.
- Be there at your time. Missed tours can't be changed or refunded. Your tour ticket lets you leave and re-enter the grounds until your tour; not after.
- Use the wait. Walk round the pond and see the Hoshokan Museum, the temple's own museum of its treasures.
Anything different in November 2026?
- Nov 10–11: maintenance on part of the Phoenix Hall's exterior, mainly from ladders. No large scaffolding, but workers may appear in photos. The notice doesn't say whether interior tours stop.
- Nov 2–27: the Tobira-e (painted doors) room in the Hoshokan Museum is closed on weekdays for survey work. It stays open at weekends and on Monday, Nov 23 (a holiday).
- Nov 13 – Dec 6 (autumn leaves period): the museum's artifact section is closed and video exhibits pause on some dates.
- Night viewing has been suspended.
A half-day Uji plan
- 8:45Arrive at JR Uji and walk to Byodo-in as the garden opens.
- 9:00Go to the Phoenix Hall reception first (tours run from 9:30), then see the museum while you wait.
- 11:00Walk the Byodo-in omotesando, the street of tea shops, for matcha and sweets.
- 12:00Cross the Uji Bridge to Ujigami Shrine and the riverside paths.
- 13:30JR back towards Kyoto, stopping at Inari for Fushimi Inari, or on to Nara.
Can you add the Nintendo Museum?
The Nintendo Museum is in Ogura, also in Uji city, about 5 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Ogura and 8 minutes from JR Ogura. It's open 10:00–20:00 and closed on Tuesdays.
But you can't just turn up. Tickets are sold only by lottery, months ahead (on Nov 7, 2026 the drawing was taking entries for February 2027). You need a free Nintendo Account, and the names on the booking must match each visitor's ID, which staff check on the day. Adults pay ¥3,300. If you have tickets, Uji in the morning and the museum in the afternoon makes a good day. How the Nintendo Museum lottery works →
What the official pages said on Nov 7, 2026
Byodo-in's English guide page lists ¥700 / ¥400 / ¥300, garden 8:45–17:30, Hoshokan 9:00–17:00, and the Phoenix Hall interior at ¥300, 9:30–16:10, every 20 minutes, with tickets at the reception in the garden.
Byodo-in's notices list the capacity change from 50 to 35 on October 16, 2026, maintenance on November 10–11, and the autumn special period from November 13 to December 6.
The Nintendo Museum's site lists the lottery, ¥3,300 adult price, 10:00–20:00 hours and Tuesday closing.
Byodo-in's pages do not give train fares or journey times, so check them in a route planner on the day.
Make it a bigger day
A tea ceremony or matcha experience
Uji's tea shops are free to walk into. A booked experience is a set session; check the listing for the language, length and what's included.
Affiliate linkFushimi Inari
JR Inari is five minutes from Kyoto. Go early, then continue to Uji.
Quick questions
Is the Phoenix Hall interior worth ¥300?
Yes if you can get a slot without waiting all day. The interior is the only way to see the hall's central Buddha up close. If the wait is too long, the outside view across the pond is the famous one anyway.
Does the JR Pass cover Uji?
Yes, the JR Nara Line is JR. Keihan isn't covered.
Before you go
Arrive early, buy the Phoenix Hall tour ticket first, and leave room for a long tea stop. Then let the JR Nara Line take you to Fushimi Inari or Nara.
The Klook link is an affiliate link.