Heian Shrine
ExploreJapanDaily Editorial Team · Last updated: September 28, 2026
Heian Shrine is the vermilion shrine in Okazaki built in 1895 for the 1,100th anniversary of Kyoto's founding, a scaled-down copy of the Heian palace's state halls. The shrine is free; its garden, the Shin-en, costs ¥600 and is known for its weeping cherries in late March and early April. The grounds open at 6:00 a.m. and the garden at 8:30 a.m., with closing times that change by season.
- Area
- Okazaki / Higashiyama
- Best For
- Gardens, Cherry Blossoms, Architecture, Festivals
Visiting Heian Shrine
Heian Shrine was founded in 1895, when Kyoto marked the 1,100th anniversary of the capital's founding with a national industrial exhibition. It enshrines Emperor Kanmu, who moved the capital here in 794, and since 1940 also Emperor Komei, the last emperor to reign from Kyoto. The buildings copy the Chodoin, the state halls of the Heian palace, at five-eighths of the original scale: the two-storey Otenmon gate, the Daigokuden hall across the courtyard and the corner towers are Important Cultural Properties. The main sanctuary behind was destroyed by arson in 1976 and rebuilt in 1979.
The garden, the Shin-en, wraps around the buildings in four parts, south, west, middle and east, covering about 33,000 square meters. It was laid out by the garden maker Ogawa Jihei VII and is a national Place of Scenic Beauty. Its red weeping cherries appear in Tanizaki's novel The Makioka Sisters, and in the middle garden a line of stepping stones, the Garyu-kyo, reuses pillars from the Sanjo and Gojo bridges built under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The great torii on the approach, 1929 and one of the largest in Japan, stands among the museums and parks of Okazaki, so the shrine pairs easily with Nanzen-ji and the Philosopher's Path. Every October 22 the Jidai Matsuri procession, founded with the shrine, ends here.
The Shin-en garden, in order
Short answer
The garden route circles the shrine buildings: south garden, west garden, middle garden, then the east garden.
Start
South garden
Red weeping cherries and the plants of Heian literature.
Iris pond
West garden
Japanese irises in early June and water lilies in summer, around Byakko pond.
Stepping stones
Middle garden
The Garyu-kyo stones across Soryu pond, made from old bridge pillars.
The largest pond
East garden
The Taiheikaku roofed bridge, with the Higashiyama hills behind.
What is in bloom, and when
Short answer
The garden changes month by month; the cherries in late March and early April draw the biggest crowds.
- Late March to early April
- Cherries, including the red weeping cherries, in the south garden.
- May
- Rabbit-ear irises around the middle garden's pond.
- Early June
- About 2,000 Japanese irises in the west garden; one free-entry day.
- Mid to late November
- Autumn leaves in the middle garden.
- October 22
- Jidai Matsuri; garden open only 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Fitting Heian Shrine into an Okazaki day
Short answer
Heian Shrine anchors a half day in Okazaki and the northern Higashiyama hills.
Around the torii
The Okazaki museums
The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art and the National Museum of Modern Art face each other across the approach.
Better on another day
Arashiyama
On the far side of the city; give it its own day.
Things to do at Heian Shrine
How to Get to Heian Shrine
Heian Shrine is in Okazaki, north of Sanjo-dori, among the city's museums. It has no car park.
- •The shrine has no car park; the Okazaki public car parks fill in spring and autumn.
- •Higashiyama Station (exit 1) is the nearest subway station, 10 minutes on foot.
Map
Best Time to Visit Heian Shrine
Best time to visit Heian Shrine: late March to early April for the weeping cherries; a weekday morning at other times. Weekday mornings are generally quieter than weekends and public holidays.
- •The grounds open at 6:00 a.m.; the garden opens at 8:30 a.m.
- •The garden is free on two days a year, in early June and on September 19, and very crowded then.
- •On October 22 the garden takes visitors only from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. because of the Jidai Matsuri.
Cherries in the south garden, including the red weeping cherries.
Japanese irises in the west garden; one free-entry day for the garden.
Kyoto Takigi Noh: firelit Noh on a stage set before the main hall, over two ticketed evenings. From 2027 it is held on the first Friday and Saturday of June (June 1 and 2 until 2026); in rain it moves indoors to ROHM Theatre Kyoto.
Jidai Matsuri: the procession leaves the Imperial Palace at noon and ends at Heian Shrine.
Autumn leaves in the middle garden.
Entry Fee & Hours
| Category | Price (JPY) | Approx. (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | ¥600 | ~$4 |
| Child (junior high school and under) | ¥300 | ~$2 |
| Preschool child | Free | Free |
- •The shrine grounds are free. Visitors with a disability certificate pay half the garden fee, as does one companion.
- •Pets should be carried; drones are banned without permission.
Nearby Attractions
Places to pair with Heian Shrine
Nanzen-ji Temple
Philosopher's Path
Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)
- •Nanzen-ji Temple (South-east across Okazaki, on foot): Nanzen-ji is the head temple of the Nanzen-ji school of Rinzai Zen, with a 22-meter Sanmon gate, a National Treasure abbot's hall and its tiger garden, and the red-brick aqueduct of the Lake Biwa Canal running through its grounds.
- •Philosopher's Path (East, at the foot of the hills): The Philosopher's Path is a canal-side walk of about 2 kilometers in eastern Kyoto, between Ginkaku-ji and the Nanzen-ji area. It is named for the philosopher Nishida Kitaro, who walked it each morning, and is lined with cherry trees donated by the painter Hashimoto Kansetsu.
- •Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) (At the north end of the Philosopher's Path): Ginkaku-ji, officially Jisho-ji, is a Rinzai Zen temple in eastern Kyoto built on the Higashiyama villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. Its Kannon Hall, the Silver Pavilion, and the Togudo are National Treasures, set in a garden of raked sand, pond and hillside. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Two ways to fit Heian Shrine in
Both work from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Line.
Okazaki and Nanzen-ji
A half day.
8:30 a.m.
Heian Shrine's garden as it opens.
Late morning
Walk south-east to Nanzen-ji for the Sanmon gate and the aqueduct.
Lunch
Back through Okazaki, or on to Keage Station.
Northern Higashiyama
A full day on foot.
Morning
Ginkaku-ji, then south along the Philosopher's Path.
Afternoon
Nanzen-ji.
Late afternoon
Heian Shrine; the garden's last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
Frequently Asked Questions
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