Tōdai-ji Temple’s main attraction, the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den), has a seasonal closing time, so it’s worth checking before you plan your day. From April to October, the hall is open until 5:30 p.m., while from November to March it closes at 5:00 p.m.
In practice, this means the last part of the afternoon disappears quickly in winter, so arriving earlier helps you enjoy the Great Buddha, the enormous wooden structure, and the atmosphere without rushing at the end.
closing time
Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara is best known for the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den), and its visiting hours change by season. From April to October, the Great Buddha Hall is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., while from November to March it runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. That means the closing time is 5:30 p.m. in the warmer months and 5:00 p.m. in the colder months. If you want to enjoy the huge statue, the wooden architecture, and the atmosphere without rushing, arriving earlier in the day is a smart move, especially during busy weekends and peak travel seasons.
Closed days
Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara has no regular closed days. In normal circumstances, the temple is open all year round, so you can plan a visit on any weekday or weekend without worrying about a fixed holiday.
The official visitor information notes that, unless there is a special event or an emergency such as an accident or disaster, it remains open year-round, with opening hours changing by season rather than having scheduled closing days.
lastentry
For Tōdai-ji Temple, the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den) closes at 5:30 p.m. (Apr–Oct) and 5:00 p.m. (Nov–Mar). While the temple doesn’t always publish a single “last entry” line for the hall in the same way some attractions do, a widely used on-site rule is to treat last admission as about 30 minutes before closing, so aim for around 5:00 p.m. (Apr–Oct) or 4:30 p.m. (Nov–Mar) to enter comfortably without rushing.
If you’re also visiting the Tōdai-ji Museum, it clearly lists last entry times: last entry 5:00 p.m. (Apr–Oct) and last entry 4:30 p.m. (Nov–Mar).
Todaiji temple packing
When you visit Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara, pack for a relaxed walk as much as for a temple visit. Comfortable shoes matter more than people expect, because you’ll be walking through Nara Park and around wide temple grounds before and after you enter the Great Buddha Hall. In summer, bring water and something light for sun protection, since the open areas can feel hot with very little shade.
In winter, a warm inner layer helps because the air inside large wooden buildings can feel chilly, especially if you arrive in the morning or stay late in the afternoon.
A small umbrella or compact rain jacket is worth packing in any season, because weather changes quickly and the grounds are still enjoyable in light rain if you stay comfortable.
If you plan to take a lot of photos, a portable charger is a simple lifesaver, since it’s easy to spend longer than planned around the Great Buddha and the surrounding scenery. Cash is also handy for admission and small purchases, and if you like collecting temple stamps, bringing a goshuin book makes the experience smoother than buying everything on the spot.
Todaiji temple admissiondays
Tōdai-ji Temple is open to visitors every day, with no regular closed days. The temple’s own visitor information explains that it remains open year-round unless there is a special event or an emergency such as an accident or disaster.
In other words, you can normally buy admission and enter any day you visit, and the main thing that changes is the seasonal opening hours rather than the “admission days.”
Where is todaiji temple located
Tōdai-ji Temple is located in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, in the Nara Park area in eastern Nara. The official address is 406-1 Zōshi-chō, Nara-shi, Nara-ken 630-8587, Japan.
Todaiji map
https://www.todaiji.or.jp/
Todaiji temple gate
The main gate at Tōdai-ji is the Nandaimon (Great South Gate). It stands at the southern entrance to the Tōdai-ji precincts, right on the main approach that leads into the temple grounds toward the Great Buddha Hall, so you’ll naturally pass through it when walking in from the Nara Park side.
If you want a location to plug into maps, the gate is within the same precinct address used for Tōdai-ji’s visitor information: 406-1 Zōshi-chō, Nara City, Nara 630-8587, Japan. On the official precinct map, Nandaimon is marked at the main “Entrance” area of the grounds.
Todaiji buddha size
The Tōdai-ji Great Buddha (Nara Daibutsu) is famous for its overwhelming scale. The seated statue measures 14.98 meters tall, and even the face alone is 5.33 meters long—bigger than many city billboards. The details are just as striking up close: the ears are 2.54 meters long, and each eye is about 1.02 meters across, which helps explain why the Daibutsu can feel “human” even at such a monumental size.
When people talk about the Todaiji Buddha size, weight is often mentioned too. Many Japanese tourism sources describe it at roughly 250 tons, while you’ll also see notes that the statue was cast from over 400 tons of bronze, so the exact number depends on what is being counted and how it’s measured. Either way, the scale is the point: inside the Great Buddha Hall, the statue’s height and proportions are so large that photos rarely capture how massive it feels in person.