Hatakaku
Imperial Palace, Kyoto
- Tue to Sun
- 12:00 to 16:00, 17:00 to 21:30
- Mon
- Closed
Lunch last order 14:30 (arrive by 13:30). Dinner last order 20:00.
Source: hatakaku.gorp.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Hatakaku has served botan nabe, wild boar hotpot, since 1918. The man who first served it grew up at an inn by the palace hunting grounds and built the dish from a country boar stew. Here the boar simmers in white miso rather than the usual red, and every room is private, looking onto a garden.
Insider tip
Botan nabe is ¥12,000 a person and runs from 15 November, when hunting opens, to about 20 March, and in that season it's the only dish served. Outside the season there's kaiseki from ¥12,000, with hamo in summer and matsutake in autumn. Arrive for lunch by 13:30.
What the guides say about Hatakaku
In winter, Hatakaku serves botan nabe, wild boar hotpot in white miso, from 15 November to about 20 March at ¥12,000 a person. It's the only dish on in that season.
What's on near Hatakaku
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Hatakaku, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Goryo Matsuri at Kamigoryo Shrine
御霊祭 還幸祭（上御霊神社）
Time Rite 11:30, procession from 13:00 Station Kuramaguchi (Karasuma Line)
Three mikoshi, an ox-drawn imperial cart and halberd floats tour the parish, and since 2009 the procession passes through the Imperial Palace park again. It's said to keep the oldest form of a goryo-e festival.
Naokijp, CC BY-SA 4.0 Shokoku-ji Spring Special Opening
春の特別拝観（相国寺）
Time 10:00 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00) Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), 8 min walk
The Hatto hall opens with Kano Mitsunobu's crying dragon painted on its ceiling, along with the abbot's quarters and the founder's hall.
663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0 Maruyama Okyo and Ito Jakuchu
「円山応挙と伊藤若冲」
Time 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), exit 3, 8 min walk
Okyo's Peony and Peacock (first half of the autumn period) and his Great Waterfall, over 3.6 m tall (second half), hang alongside all 50 of Jakuchu's ink panels from the great study room of Kinkaku-ji, where he shows what he could do without colour. It's closed for New Year from 27 Dec to 8 Jan.
663highland, CC BY 2.5 Shokoku-ji Autumn Special Opening
相国寺 秋の特別拝観
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line)
Shokoku-ji opens its Hatto, the oldest surviving Dharma hall in Japan, along with the abbot's quarters and the founder's hall. Look up at the 'crying dragon' Kano Mitsunobu painted on the Hatto ceiling. It's closed for services from 18 to 21 Oct.
663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0 Spring Doll Exhibition at Hokyo-ji
春の人形展（宝鏡寺）
Time 10:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:30) Station Horikawa Teranouchi bus stop (City Bus 9), right by the stop
The imperial convent known as the doll temple shows dolls Emperor Komei treasured among its Kyoto dolls each spring, and the show opens on 1 March with a hina matsuri ceremony in the main hall at 11:00. Its other doll show is in November.
Nearby
Around Imperial Palace
Free palace walks, a park that never shuts, and the court's old shops
Kyoto Gyoen, a park 1.3 km long in central Kyoto, never closes. The Kyoto Imperial Palace sits inside it, and you can walk round it for free without booking. Around the edges you'll find Shokoku-ji (head of the Zen branch that takes in Kinkaku-ji), the house site where The Tale of Genji was written, and shops that once supplied the court.
Imperial Palace has 23 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 6 shrines and temples, 5 landmarks, 3 museums, 2 cafes, 2 restaurants, 2 shops, 2 parks and gardens and 1 bar. Read the Imperial Palace guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Hatakaku?
- 430 Uchigamae-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区上御霊前通烏丸西入内構町430).
- What are the opening hours of Hatakaku?
- Tue to Sun 12:00 to 16:00, 17:00 to 21:30; Closed Mon. Lunch last order 14:30 (arrive by 13:30). Dinner last order 20:00.
- How do I get to Hatakaku?
- The nearest station is Kuramaguchi (Karasuma Line). Hatakaku is in Imperial Palace, Kyoto.
- How much does Hatakaku cost?
- Hatakaku is at the higher end, marked ¥¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Hatakaku?
- Plan for 2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Hatakaku?
- 15 November to about 20 March.
Stay near Hatakaku
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