1.
temple/shrine viewing fee; admission fee for religious sites
The fee charged to enter and view a temple, shrine, or other religious/historical site.
Formation: 拝観 (respectful viewing) + 料 (fee). The 拝 is the same character as in 拝む (to pray to, to bow before), and it frames entry as a reverent act rather than the purchase of a ticket. That is why the word is confined to temples, shrines, and comparable historical sites.
Related fee types: Japanese picks the fee word by the kind of place, and the four are not interchangeable.
- 拝観料: temples and shrines
- 入館料: buildings whose name ends in 〜館 — museums, galleries, halls
- 入場料: grounds, venues, and events
- 観覧料: places you go to look at something — a garden, an observation deck, a zoo
Common collocations
- 拝観料を払う: pay the viewing fee
- 拝観料無料: admission free (sign wording; no particle)
- 拝観料込み: viewing fee included, e.g. in a tour price
Verb form: 拝観する is to view a temple or shrine. It is humble in origin — the speaker lowers their own act of looking — so it is not used of ordinary sightseeing.
Cultural note: major temples in 京都 and 奈良 charge a 拝観料, commonly a few hundred yen, and it often covers only the main hall or the garden rather than the whole 境内. Most neighbourhood 神社 charge nothing at all.