Northern Higashiyama

The Northern Higashiyama Area is one of Kyoto’s most important sightseeing districts. It’s less crowded than Southern Higashiyama but it contains at least as many first-rate sights, including fantastic temples, shrines and lots of greenery.

Heian Jingu’s Torii and Okazaki Canal

Northern Higashiyama Area Description:

The Northern Higashiyama Area runs along the base of the Higashiyama (Northern Mountains) from Sanjo-dori in the south to Shugakuin in the north. The western boundary of the district is the Kamo-gawa River. The area at the base of the mountains is basically one long strip of temples, while the central area, known as Okazaki-koen, is the city’s museum district.

Things To Do And See In Northern Higashiyama

• Nanzen-ji Temple
  One of the best temples in the Northern Higashiyama district, Nanzen-ji Temple is a sprawling Zen paradise surrounded by lush green hills
• The Kyoto International Community House
  The Kyoto International Community House has a lot to offer the short-term visitor, including a library with international papers and magazines, free internet and wifi
• Murin-an Villa
  This perfect walled in garden just down the hill from Nanzen-ji Temple is a brilliant place to escape the crowds that plague the big-name spots of Higashiyama
• Heian-jingu Shrine
  Heian-jungu Shrine is one of the most important and visually impressive Shinto shrines in Kyoto. It’s worth a visit, particularly on Shinto festival days
• Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
  The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art is the best museum in Kyoto (it’s only eclipsed by the Kyoto National Museum when the National is holding a special exhibition)
• National Museum of Modern Art
  Kyoto’s National Museum of Modern Art is a reasonably interesting museum that occasionally holds worthwhile special exhibits
• Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts
  The Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts is a small free museum that showcases the main traditional crafts of Kyoto. It’s a great rainy day activity.
• Kyoto City Zoo
  If your kids are strangely unimpressed by the subtleties of Buddhist temples, the Kyoto City Zoo can be a godsend
• Eikan-do Temple
  One of Kyoto’s most famous fall foliage spots, Eikan-do Temple is a sprawling complex of gardens and halls that’s worth a visit outside of the fall foliage season
• Konchi-in Temple
  Konchi-in Temple is one of the finer small temples in the Northern Higashiyama Sightseeing district. The garden alone is worth the price of admission
• The Path of Philosophy
  The Path of Philosophy is easily one of the most attractive sights in Kyoto – a streamside path lined with blossoming trees and shrubs of every description
• Reikan-ji Temple
  Only open for two brief periods a year, Reikan-ji Temple is a must-see attraction if you’re lucky enough to be in town when the gates are open
• Anraku-ji Temple
  Another tiny charmer of a temple off of the Path of Philosophy, Anraku-ji is highly recommended if you’re in town when it’s open
• Honen-in Temple
  Honen-in is our favorite temple in all of Kyoto, and that’s saying a lot in a city with over 1600 temples
• Ginkaku-ji Temple
  Ginkaku-ji temple, the famed “Silver Pavilion”, has magnificient halls and gardens. It’s predicably popular so best visited in off-peak time
• Mt Daimonji-yama Hike from Ginkaku-ji Temple
  The one-hour roundtrip hike from Ginkaku-ji Temple up to the viewpoint on Mt. Daimonji-yama is the best short hike in Kyoto. The view of the city from here in incredible! Here is everything you need to do this hike.
• Shinyo-do Temple
  Shinyo-do Temple is a beautiful temple located atop Yoshida-yama Hill. The main hall here is sublime and the ground is dotted with cherry and maple trees.
• Konkaikomyo-ji Temple (Kurodani)
  Konkaikomyo-ji Temple, better known as Kurodani, is a superb and rarely visited (by tourists) temple on Yoshida-yama Hill.
• Enko-ji Temple
  This small temple in far Northern Higashiyama packs a huge punch: It’s got two incredible gardens, some fine Buddhist artwork and even a small bamboo forest reminiscent of the famous one in Arashiyama.
• Manshu-in Temple
  A small gem of a temple well to the north of the “beaten path,” Manshu-in rewards the visitor with a fine garden, brilliant architecture and superb decorations
• Shisen-do Temple
  Another northern temple far from the beaten track, Shisen-do Temple is the perfect choice for visitors who want to escape the crowds that plague better known spots
• Shugakuin Rikyu Imperial Villa
  Shugakuin Rikyu Imperial Villa is the most spacious and, in some ways, the most pleasing of Kyoto’s four imperial properties
• Bishamon-do Temple
  Bishamon-do Temple is a beautiful temple just over the Higashiyama Mountains from Kyoto in the suburb of Yamashina. It can be reached by train and subway, or by hiking trails from Nanzen-ji Temple.
• Robert Yellin Gallery
  Located a short walk from Ginkaku-ji Temple, the Robert Yellin Gallery is a carefully curated gallery of Japanese pottery in a lovely traditional Kyoto house.

Places to Eat in Northern Higashiyama

• Omen
  Just down the hill from Ginkaku-ji Temple, Omen is one of our favorite restaurants in Kyoto. They serve some of Kyoto’s best udon noodles
• Sanmikouan Higashiyama Sanjo
  If you’re hungry for a tasty bowl of soba and some excellent side dishes while exploring near Okazaki, try to get a table at Sanmikouan. It’s a tranquil oasis in a busy neighborhood.
• Daigin Shokudo
  Daigin Shokudo is a great shokudo near Ginkaku-ji Temple. It serves the standard noodle and rice favorites. It’s a good choice for a meal when exploring Northern Higashiyama.
• Onigiriyasan
  If you’re looking for a healthy lunch to take with you on a hike in Kurama or anywhere else in Kyoto, stop by Onigiriyasan for some of the best rice balls in town. They’re healthy, cheap and delicious!
• Kyoto Soh-an Café
  Kyoto Soh-an Café is a great place for a cup of coffee or tea or a light meal when exploring Northern Higashiyama. You can usually get a seat here when the places closer to the temples are packed.
• Goya
  A great place to eat near Ginkaku-ji Temple, Goya is an Okinawan-themed restaurant with excellent food, cool music and comfortable seating
• Falafel Garden
  A great vegetarian restaurant in northern Kyoto, Falafel Garden specializes in the eponymous falafel, but there’s plenty more on the menu to keep things interesting
• Sujata
  With reasonably priced lunch sets, Sujata is a long-time favourite with Kyoto residents looking for homey vegetarian fare.
• Sanmikouan Ginkakuji
  If you’re looking for a tasty bowl of soba in peaceful surroundings, just steps from Ginkaku-ji Temple, you’ll definitely like Sanmikouan – it’s head and shoulders above the usual fare in this neighborhood.
• Hyotei
  One of Kyoto’s Michelin three-star restaurants, Hyotei is one of the most attractive restaurants in Kyoto. It’s a kaiseki restaurant that makes few concessions to foreign palates
• Hinode Udon
  Hinode Udon is a fine lunch restaurant near Nanzen-ji Temple and the Path of Philosophy. As the name suggests, udon noodles are the specialty of the house
• Karako
  For a hearty bowl of ramen noodles in the Kyoto museum district (Okazaki-koen Park and Heian-jingu area), Karako is the obvious choice
• Au Temps Perdu
  A perfect little French café on the edge of Kyoto’s museum district (Okazaki-koen Park), there are few better places in Kyoto to sip tea and watch the world go by
• Choice
  Choice restaurant is a great place to enjoy Japanese-style vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food. It’s at Sanjo-Keihan, very close to Downtown Kyoto.

Check Hotel Availability

Destination

Check-in date

Sat 01 Oct 2022

Check-out date

Sun 02 Oct 2022

Ryokan in Northern Higashiyama

• Nanzenji Sando Kikusui
  (View on Booking.com or Agoda.com)
  For those with a little cash to splash, consider staying at Nanzenji Sando Kikusui. A night here won’t come cheap, but it’s worth it for a sublime ryokan experience.
• Kyoto Garden Ryokan Yachiyo Hotel
  (View on Booking.com or Agoda.com)
  The Garden Ryokan Yachiyo is a large ryokan near Nanzen-ji Temple, very used to foreign guests

Vacation Rentals in Northern Higashiyama

• Koto Inn
  One of the finest vacation rentals in Kyoto, Koto Inn is a lovingly restored Japanese machiya with all the comforts that Western travelers have come to expect

Shopping in Northern Higashiyama

• Kyoto Handicraft Center
  For one-stop souvenir shopping, the Kyoto Handicraft Center should be at the top of your list
• Tozando
  For wanna-be samurai and other fans of Japanese swords and knifes, Tozando should be high on your itinerary

Nightlife in Northern Higashiyama

• Metro
  The only club we’ve ever seen inside a train station, the aptly named Metro is located in one of the entrance tunnels to the Keihan Line’s Marutamachi Station
• Kick Up
  A cozy bar in Keage, just across the street from the Westin Miyako Hotel, Kick Up is an excellent place for a sociable drink in eastern Kyoto

Getting to Northern Higashiyama

• By subway from Kyoto Station: Take the Karasuma Subway Line to Karasuma-Oike Station and change to the Tozai Subway line heading east. Get off at Higashiyama Station and walk north to get to Okazaki-koen. Or, get off at Keage Station and walk north to get to Nanzen-ji Temple and the Path of Philosophy.
• By bicycle from Kyoto Station: Cycle east to the Kamo-gawa River and then cycle north (upstream) until you hit Sanjo-dori or Marutamachi-dori.
• By Hankyu Line (from Osaka etc): Get off at Kawaramachi Station.
• By Keihan Line (from Osaka etc): Get off at Sanjo Keihan Stations

Kyoto District Map

• Arashiyama
• Central Kyoto
• Northwest Kyoto
• Nishijin
• Northern Higashiyama
• Southern Higashiyama
• Downtown Kyoto
• Kyoto Station Area
• South East Kyoto