Neighbourhood · Kyoto

Okazaki and Northern Higashiyama: what to see and do

岡崎・北東山

The museum and shrine district around Heian Shrine and the temples along the eastern hills from Nanzen-ji to Ginkaku-ji and the Philosopher's Path. It suits travellers who want a calmer, residential base near gardens and museums.

20 places Higashiyama, 10 min walkKeage, 13 min walk 30 min to Kyoto Station

The pond garden of Shoren-in with a small stone bridge and clipped shrubs
Shoren-in · Photo: nichols-villa / Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Your dates

Sights

  1. Temple

    Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) 銀閣寺（慈照寺）

    Built in 1482 as the retirement villa of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa and converted into a Zen temple after his death.

    Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (Kyoto City Bus 5, 17), 10 min walk · Paid entry · 45 min

  2. Street

    Philosopher's Path 哲学の道

    A stone path of about 2 km along a canal of the Lake Biwa Canal system, between Ginkaku-ji and the Nanzen-ji area.

    Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (Kyoto City Bus 5, 17), 8 min walk · Free entry · 45 min

  3. Temple

    Nanzen-ji 南禅寺

    Head temple of one of the schools of Rinzai Zen, at the foot of the Higashiyama hills.

    Keage (Tozai Line), 7 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h

  4. Shrine

    Heian Shrine 平安神宮

    Built in 1895 for the 1100th anniversary of the capital's founding, with main buildings modelled on a reduced-scale Heian period palace and a large torii gate on the approach.

    Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 10 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h

  5. Temple

    Eikan-do (Zenrin-ji) 永観堂

    A Jodo sect temple north of Nanzen-ji known for its autumn colours, its hillside Tahoto pagoda and a statue of the Amida Buddha with his head turned to the side.

    Keage (Tozai Line), 15 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h

  6. Temple

    Shoren-in 青蓮院

    A Tendai temple at the foot of the Higashiyama hills whose head priests were traditionally members of the imperial family.

    Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 5 min walk · Paid entry · 45 min

  7. Temple

    Honen-in 法然院

    A small temple a short walk east of the Philosopher's Path, entered through a thatched gate between raked sand mounds.

    Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (Kyoto City Bus 5, 17), 12 min walk · Free entry · 20 min

  8. Street

    Keage Incline 蹴上インクライン

    A disused inclined railway, about 582 m long, that carried boats on the Lake Biwa Canal from 1891 to 1948.

    Keage (Tozai Line), 3 min walk · Free entry · 20 min

  9. Museum

    Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art 京都市京セラ美術館

    The municipal art museum in Okazaki, facing the National Museum of Modern Art across the approach to Heian Shrine.

    Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 8 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h 30 min

  10. Museum

    National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto 京都国立近代美術館

    A national museum of modern art and design in Okazaki, opposite the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art.

    Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 7 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h 15 min

  11. Temple

    Shinnyo-do (Shinsho Gokuraku-ji) 真如堂（真正極楽寺）

    A Tendai temple founded in 984 by a priest from Enryaku-ji, on a low hill between Okazaki and Yoshida.

    Shinnyodo-mae bus stop (Kyoto City Bus 5), 5 min walk · Paid entry · 45 min

  12. Garden

    Murin-an 無鄰菴

    The villa and garden of the Meiji statesman Yamagata Aritomo, built in 1894 to 1896 and designed by the gardener Ogawa Jihei, with water drawn from the Lake Biwa Canal.

    Keage (Tozai Line), 9 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h

  13. Museum

    Kyoto City Zoo 京都市動物園

    A city zoo in a corner of Okazaki Park, opened in 1903 as the second oldest zoo in Japan after Ueno.

    Keage (Tozai Line), 12 min walk · Paid entry · 2 h

  14. Temple

    Konchi-in 金地院

    A subtemple of Nanzen-ji, moved to its present site in the early 1600s, with the Crane and Turtle dry garden created in 1632 by the tea master Kobori Enshu for a planned visit by the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

    Keage (Tozai Line), 6 min walk · Paid entry · 40 min

  15. Temple

    Konkai Komyo-ji (Kurodani) 金戒光明寺（くろ谷）

    A head temple of the Jodo sect founded in 1175 by Honen, on a hill north of Okazaki, known locally as Kurodani.

    Okazaki-michi bus stop (Kyoto City Bus 5), 7 min walk · Free entry · 45 min

  16. Museum

    Hosomi Museum 細見美術館

    A private museum opened in 1998 on Niomon-dori in Okazaki, showing rotating exhibitions from the Hosomi family collection of Japanese art, strong in Rimpa painting and works by Ito Jakuchu.

    Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 8 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h

  17. Museum

    Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design 京都伝統産業ミュージアム

    A museum of Kyoto's traditional crafts in the basement of the Miyako Messe exhibition hall, just south of Heian Shrine, with displays and explanations of the city's crafts from textiles to lacquer and ceramics, plus yuzen dyeing workshops and artisan demonstrations.

    Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 10 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h

Food, drink and markets

  1. Food

    Yamamoto Menzou 山元麺蔵

    A small handmade udon restaurant on the south side of Okazaki, a few minutes from Heian Shrine, with a ten-seat counter and two tables.

    Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 11 min walk · Free entry · 1 h

  2. Food

    Omen (Ginkakuji main shop) 名代おめん 銀閣寺本店

    The original shop of an udon restaurant founded in 1967 in front of Ginkaku-ji, known for udon eaten dipped in a kelp and bonito broth, with a plate of eight condiments such as kinpira burdock, sesame, green onion, ginger and seasonal vegetables.

    Ginkakuji-michi bus stop (Kyoto City Bus 5, 17), 6 min walk · Free entry · 50 min

Shopping

  1. Shopping

    Kyoto Handicraft Center 京都ハンディクラフトセンター

    A crafts store in two buildings on Marutamachi-dori north of Heian Shrine, open since 1967, selling Kyoto and Japanese crafts such as damascene, woodblock prints, pottery, dolls and kimono.

    Jingu-Marutamachi (Keihan Oto Line), 10 min walk · Free entry · 1 h

Getting there

  • Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 10 min walk
  • Keage (Tozai Line), 13 min walk
Kyoto Station
30 min
Shijo-Kawaramachi crossing
20 min
Yasaka Shrine (Gion)
15 min

Travel time (public transport)

For visitors

  • Heian Shrine, Nanzen-ji, Eikan-do and the Philosopher's Path within walking distance
  • Several museums in Okazaki for rainy days
  • Quiet residential streets with more vacation rentals than the centre, according to Japan Guide
  • Tozai Line connection to Karasuma Oike and on to Kyoto Station
  • Few restaurants and bars open late
  • Ginkaku-ji and the north end of the Philosopher's Path are served only by bus
  • Longer trips to Kyoto Station and to Arashiyama than from the centre

Nearby areas

Staying here

Hotels in Okazaki and Northern Higashiyama had a median rate of US$534 per night in the latest weekly sample. A few large full-service hotels, ryokan and inns near Nanzen-ji and Heian Shrine, and vacation rentals and guesthouses in the residential streets.

Where to stay in Okazaki and Northern Higashiyama: stations, pros and cons, hotel types

Prices and availability come from the booking sites and can change.

Sources · Verified 24 September 2026