Chionji Temple by Amanohashidate: Monju, mochi and access

Last checked: October 2026

Temple corner with a large iron basin, stone marker, paper fans hung on a pine

Chionji Temple

Type: Buddhist temple
Address: 466 Monju, Miyazu, Kyoto 626-0001
Area: Amanohashidate Station and Monju
Google rating: 4.2 (2,684 reviews) on Google Maps, checked October 2026
On the map: Open in Google Maps

Opening hours on Google Maps, checked October 2026
Day	Hours
Monday	08:00–17:00
Tuesday	08:00–17:00
Wednesday	08:00–17:00
Thursday	08:00–17:00
Friday	08:00–17:00
Saturday	08:00–17:00
Sunday	08:00–17:00

What is there to do at Chionji?

At Chionji you pray to Monju Bosatsu (the bodhisattva of wisdom), look round the old buildings and collect a temple stamp. Here’s what to look out for:

Monju on a lion. The temple’s principal object of worship is a statue of Monju riding a lion¹.
The pagoda. The two-storey pagoda is the oldest wooden structure in Miyazu¹.
The main gate. It faces Chaya Street and is a city-designated cultural property and the largest Zen temple gate in the Tango region².
Exam prayers. Students often visit to pray for success in their exams². You can ask for a formal prayer (kito) at the main hall.
Temple stamps. The temple normally offers three kinds⁵ of goshuin.

Chionji's Tahoto pagoda, a two-roofed wooden pagoda, under a blue sky

Chionji and the sandbar

Chionji once owned Amanohashidate itself. The sandbar was the temple’s private property for many years, until it was claimed as a National Forest in 1871¹.

The temple’s own website calls it the foremost of Japan’s three sacred Monju sites, standing beside one of Japan’s three scenic views⁶.

Three round strength stones in a bamboo fence at Chionji, with a Japanese sign explaining them.

Hours, fees and temple stamps

Chionji is free to enter, the grounds stay open for worship around the clock, and there are no closing days³. The main-hall counter for amulets runs 8:00–17:00⁴, and prayer requests are taken from 8:00 to 17:00⁵.

The temple says its hours vary with the season and with temple events⁴, so check its website before you plan around a ceremony.

Chionji Temple fees

Fee	Adult
Temple grounds	Free
Prayer (kito), with a paper talisman	¥3,000
Temple stamp (goshuin)	¥500
Car park, car per day	¥700
Car park, motorcycle per day	¥400

Amanohashidate Tourism Association (amanohashidate.jp) (official); monjudo-chionji.jp (official); Monjudo Chionji (official)

Wisdom mochi outside the gate

Before or after your visit, try chie no mochi (wisdom mochi), an adzuki bean and rice sweet¹. Four teahouses⁹ make it, all just outside the temple gates:

Chitose
Hikobe
Kanshichi
Yoshino

How do you get to Chionji?

Chionji is at 466 Monju, Miyazu, Kyoto 626-0001¹⁰, in the area the official tourism site groups as Monju / Amanohashidate Station¹¹. Without a car, take the express train or bus from Kyoto; drivers come off the Kyoto Jukan Expressway.

Route	Time
Express train, Kyoto to Amanohashidate	about 2 hours¹²
Bus, Kyoto to Amanohashidate	about 2 hours 20 minutes¹²
Car, Miyazu Amanohashidate IC to the temple	about 10 minutes⁴

Kyoto Prefecture’s tourism site also sends drivers heading for Amanohashidate Shrine to the parking lot near Chion-ji². For sights and stops beyond the sandbar, the Miyazu guide covers the rest of town.

Nearby sights from the temple gate

Chionji sits at the southern end¹³ of the sandbar, so you can start the crossing right here. Walking across takes about 50 minutes one way, or about 20 minutes by bicycle¹⁴.

The Monju area of Miyazu, Kyoto: the district around the temple and the station.
Amanohashidate Viewland: an observatory on top of Mt. Monju¹¹.
Amanohashidate-jinja Shrine and the Isoshimizu well: both on the sandbar².
Motoise Kono Shrine: near the northern end¹³ of the sandbar.
Nariaiji Temple: halfway up Mt. Nariai, overlooking Amanohashidate¹¹.

For everything else in the area, see the things to do page.

Tours that call at Chionji

Rather not handle the trains or the driving? These tours list the temple on their itineraries: a bus day trip from Osaka or Kyoto, and a guided e-bike ride that starts locally.

Two stone Jizo statues with red bibs and an information board in the grounds of Chionji

Day tour

9 hoursFree cancellation

VIP Japan Tours

Amanohashidate & Miyama 1-Day Bus Tour: From Osaka/Kyoto w/ Lunch

4.4 (28 reviews) on Viator, checked October 2026

fromUS$88.35

See dates on Viator

The sandy beach of Amanohashidate sandbar, lined with pine forest and backed by mountains.

Tour

2.5 hoursFree cancellation

Umino Kyoto E-Bikes

Amanohashidate Sand bar & culture e-bike tour

5 (9 reviews) on Viator, checked October 2026

fromUS$97.79