Kōfuku-ji
Nara, Japan UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kōfuku-ji is an Asuka period Buddhist temple in the Nara administration area that is a National Treasure of Japan and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dedicated to Shakyamuni Tathāgata, it is included in the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, Nanto Shichi Daiji, Shinbutsu Reijō Junpai no Michi, and the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. It is the 84th most looked-up sight in Japan on English Wikipedia.
Planning a visit
The temple is 368 km from Tokyo. The nearest airport is Osaka Itami International Airport, located 37 km away. Visitors can combine a visit to Kōfuku-ji with several nearby locations, such as the Nara National Museum (0.5 km), Tōdai-ji (1.0 km), the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara (1.1 km), Heijō Palace (3.4 km), or Yakushi-ji (4.6 km).
The site is open from 09:00 to 17:00, and the Eastern Golden Hall has an entry fee of ¥500. Regarding weather, July and August are the warmest months with daily highs between 30 °C and 32 °C. June and September are among the rainiest months; June sees about 197 mm of rain and September sees about 173 mm. December and January are the coldest months, with daily lows reaching 0 °C. In March and April, daily highs reach between 12 °C and 18 °C.
Weather by month
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 32 °C. The wettest is June, with about 197 mm of rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | 8 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 23 | 26 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 21 | 16 | 11 |
| Average low, °C | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 2 |
| Rainfall, mm | 50 | 66 | 110 | 110 | 153 | 197 | 173 | 112 | 173 | 122 | 76 | 47 |
| Rainy days | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 7 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
