Honda Miso Honten
Imperial Palace, Kyoto
- Mon to Sat
- 10:00 to 18:00
- Sun
- Closed
Source: honda-miso.co.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Honda Miso has made miso since 1830, when its founder, a Tanba brewer known for his koji, began supplying the palace kitchens. Its sweet white miso is the one the family named Saikyo miso, miso of the western capital. Pick up a few Ichiwan misoshiru, miso and fillings sealed in a wafer shell that turn into soup when you add hot water.
Insider tip
For about a month from mid-July, Kyoto-only shells carry the marks of the Gozan Okuribi bonfires, while they last. It's closed on Sundays.
What the guides say about Honda Miso Honten
Yudofu and yuba, saba-zushi, kaiseki and the Zen vegetarian shojin ryori, wagashi with matcha, and sake from Fushimi. If you're shopping, look for pickles such as senmaizuke and the sweet white Saikyo miso from Honda Miso Honten.
What's on near Honda Miso Honten
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Honda Miso Honten, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kyoto Imperial Palace Autumn Special Opening
令和8年秋の特別公開「京都御所 宮廷文化の紹介」
Time 9:00 to 15:20 (entry), out by 16:00 Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), exit 6, 5 min walk
The palace shows the Takamikura throne in the Shishinden, guardian lion and dog statues and displays of court life, free. Catch kemari court football on 11 Oct or gagaku court music on 12 Oct at 10:00 and 11:00, and there are English guided tours at 13:00 and 14:00.
DavideGorla, CC BY 2.0 Kyoto Imperial Palace Spring Special Opening
京都御所 春の特別公開
Time 9:00 to 15:50 (out by 16:30) Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), 5 min walk from exit 6
Five days of extra displays in the palace. In 2026 they were the Takamikura throne in the Shishinden (seen from the south court), the dressing of a twelve-layer court robe, and gagaku or kemari kickball in the mornings. Entry is free with no booking, and staff give guided walks in Japanese and English.
DavideGorla, CC BY 2.0 Aoi Matsuri
葵祭 路頭の儀
Time Leaves the palace 10:30, Shimogamo 11:40 to 14:20, Kamigamo about 15:30 Station Imadegawa or Marutamachi (Karasuma Line)
Over 500 people in Heian court dress, with 36 horses and 4 oxen pulling decorated carts, walk from the Imperial Palace to Shimogamo and on to Kamigamo, everything hung with hollyhock leaves. The Kyoto City Tourism Association sells reserved seats, and rain moves it to the next day.
DavideGorla, CC BY 2.0 Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine
亥子祭
Time From 17:00 Station Marutamachi (Karasuma Line), 6 min walk
Goo Shrine, guarded by stone boars, re-creates a Heian court custom in which inoko rice cakes are pounded and carried to the Imperial Palace by a procession in court dress, then shared with visitors back at the shrine. You can join the procession in a boar-crested jacket for an offering of ¥1,000 or more on the day.
Brakeet, CC0 1.0 Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages)
時代祭
Time Leaves the Imperial Palace 12:00, Karasuma Oike about 12:50, Heian Shrine about 14:30 Station Marutamachi or Imadegawa (Karasuma Line)
Heian Shrine's festival is a 2 km costume parade of about 2,000 people, 70 horses and two oxen, walking back through history from the Meiji Restoration loyalists to the Heian court, and it leaves the Imperial Palace at noon. Paid seats are set up in the palace grounds, on Oike-dori and on Jingu-michi, and rain moves it to 23 Oct.
DavideGorla, CC BY 2.0 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 Honda Miso Honten?
- 558 Kojima-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区室町通一条上ル小島町558).
- What are the opening hours of Honda Miso Honten?
- Mon to Sat 10:00 to 18:00; Closed Sun.
- How do I get to Honda Miso Honten?
- The nearest station is Imadegawa (Karasuma Line). Honda Miso Honten is in Imperial Palace, Kyoto.
- How much does Honda Miso Honten cost?
- Honda Miso Honten is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Honda Miso Honten?
- Plan for 20 min.
- When is the best time to visit Honda Miso Honten?
- Weekday afternoons.
Stay near Honda Miso Honten
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