Kyoto State Guest House
Imperial Palace, Kyoto
- Mon, Tue, Thu to Sun
- 9:30 to 17:00
- Wed
- Closed
Last admission 15:30. Closed the next weekday when Wednesday is a public holiday, at New Year, and on days it receives official guests.
Source: geihinkan.go.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
The government opened this guest house inside Kyoto Gyoen in 2005 to receive state and official guests from abroad. It was built with sukiya carpentry, plasterwork, kirikane gold leaf, Nishijin weaving and maki-e lacquer, and the tour takes you through the Juraku-no-Ma, the Yubae-no-Ma, the Fuji-no-Ma banquet hall and the Kiri-no-Ma.
Insider tip
Visits are by a 90-minute guided tour at ¥2,000, with one English tour at 11:45 on scheduled days and Japanese tours every 45 minutes from 9:30. Book online until noon the day before, or pick up a same-day slip at the Seiwain rest house from 9:30. Children 12 and under aren't admitted.
What's on at Kyoto State Guest House
Upcoming events at Kyoto State Guest House and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kyoto State Guest House Autumn Evening Opening
京都迎賓館 秋の夜間延長公開
Time Open to 19:15 (last admission 18:15) Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), exit 3, 15 min walk
For four days the State Guest House stays open into the evening, when its shoji screens glow like big lanterns over the central pond. There's no booking or guide, children of primary school age and younger can't enter, and you'll want a torch for the dark walk through the Imperial Park.
Indiana jo, CC BY-SA 4.0 Hagi Matsuri at Nashinoki Shrine
萩まつり（梨木神社）
Time Tea 10:00 to 15:00 Station Furitsu-Idai-Byoin-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 17, 205)
More than 500 bush clover plants flower in the grounds of the shrine known as the Hagi no Miya, with visitors' poems tied to the branches. The festival weekend has archery, iaido, dance and music offerings and a tea seat for ¥1,200.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0 Demon Dance at Rozan-ji
追儺式鬼法楽（廬山寺）
Time From 15:00 Station Furitsu-Idai-Byoin-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 17, 205)
Red, blue and black demons, one for each of the three poisons, dance into the hall and try to disrupt a fire ritual until beans and prayer drive them out. Rice cakes and beans are thrown from 16:00.
663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0 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 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 Kyoto State Guest House?
- 23 Kyoto Gyoen, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区京都御苑23).
- What are the opening hours of Kyoto State Guest House?
- Mon, Tue, Thu to Sun 9:30 to 17:00; Closed Wed. Last admission 15:30. Closed the next weekday when Wednesday is a public holiday, at New Year, and on days it receives official guests.
- How do I get to Kyoto State Guest House?
- The nearest station is Furitsu-Idai-Byoin-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 7, 205). Kyoto State Guest House is in Imperial Palace, Kyoto.
- How much does Kyoto State Guest House cost?
- Kyoto State Guest House is mid-range, marked ¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kyoto State Guest House?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Kyoto State Guest House?
- The 11:45 English tour.
Stay near Kyoto State Guest House
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