Which one to choose in Uji
Byodo-in vs Manpuku-ji
Two temples in Uji. Byodo-in has 2 tickets and tours to book; Manpuku-ji has 1 ticket or tour to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Uji, Japan
Byodo-in sells its own tickets at the gate, and there is no need to book: the general admission covers the garden around the pond and the Hoshokan museum. Entry to the interior of the Phoenix Hall is a separate small fee, sold near the hall in timed groups that leave every 20 minutes or so with limited places, so buy that ticket first on arrival and explore the garden while you wait.
Tours that include the temple are mostly day trips from Kyoto or Osaka. Some are guided walks in Uji itself that pair Byodo-in with the town's tea culture, with a tasting of matcha or a visit to a tea house;
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Uji, Japan
There is no online ticket for Manpuku-ji alone. You pay a modest admission fee at the gate and walk round at your own pace. The extras are worth knowing about: the temple serves fucha ryori, the Chinese-style vegetarian banquet of the Obaku school, eaten at a shared table, which must be reserved in advance, and it sometimes holds zazen sessions and sutra copying that are arranged through the temple office.
Getting there is simple. The temple is about five minutes on foot from Obaku station, which is served both by the JR Nara line from Kyoto station in roughly 20 minutes and by the Keihan Uji line.
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