Maruyama Park
Gion, Kyoto
Source: kyoto.travel, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Maruyama Park opened in 1886, which makes it Kyoto's oldest park, and it's a designated Place of Scenic Beauty covering 86,000 square metres at the foot of the eastern hills behind Yasaka Shrine. The centrepiece is an old weeping cherry that's lit up at night when it blooms. You'll also find stroll gardens, rest houses and Japanese restaurants inside.
More photos of Maruyama Park
Insider tip
It's at its best in early April, when the cherry trees bloom and people picnic under them. Chion-in is just beyond the park, and Yasaka Shrine is right next door.
What the guides say about Maruyama Park
6. Gion, early and again at dusk. Yasaka Shrine's grounds never close, and Chion-in, just beyond Maruyama Park, opens its grounds free at 6:00. Come back at dusk for Hanamikoji-dori and the canal at Gion Shirakawa. Don't stop, touch, follow or photograph a geiko or maiko without asking. The district's own rules say so. And stay out of anything that isn't a shop or the road.
What's on at Maruyama Park
Upcoming events at Maruyama Park and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Cherry Blossom Light-up at Maruyama Park
桜ライトアップ（円山公園）
Time 18:00 to 22:00 Station Gion bus stop (City Bus 206), right by the stop
The park's big weeping cherry, Gion no Yozakura, is lit every evening through the blossom. The tree is the second generation, tended by the 16th Sano Toemon.
lienyuan lee, CC BY 3.0 Chion-in Sanmon Gate Special Opening
京都非公開文化財特別公開 知恩院 三門
Time 9:00 to 16:00 (entry) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
Chion-in's Sanmon, the giant gate built in 1621 on the orders of the second Tokugawa shogun, opens to visitors as part of the Kyoto Non-public Cultural Properties Special Opening, which this autumn covers 32 sites across Kyoto Prefecture. Each site costs ¥1,000.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Higashi Otani Mantoe Lanterns
東大谷万灯会
Time 18:00 to 21:00 Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), 15 min walk
About 10,000 lanterns, large and small, light the Higashi Otani cemetery on the hill south of Maruyama Park so families can visit their graves in the cool of the evening, with an Obon service in the main hall from 19:00.
Okera Mairi at Yasaka Shrine
をけら詣り
Time Purification rite 15:00, New Year's Eve rite 19:00, the fire burns through the night Station Gion bus stop (City Bus 206), 1 min walk
After the New Year's Eve rite, the sacred okera fire burns in lanterns all night, and you light a rope from it and swing it in circles all the way home so it stays lit. People use the flame for the household altar lamp and to cook New Year zoni soup, and the burnt rope is kept in the kitchen as a charm against fire.
underutilized, CC BY-SA 2.0 Karuta Hajime at Yasaka Shrine
かるた始め式
Station Gion bus stop (City Bus 206), 1 min walk
The first karuta card game of the year is played as an offering on the Noh stage at Yasaka Shrine, followed by a show of Heian court costume.
underutilized, CC BY-SA 2.0 Nearby
Around Gion
The teahouse streets below Yasaka Shrine, best early or at dusk
Gion grew up as the town at the gate of Yasaka Shrine, and it's still where Kyoto's geiko and maiko live and work. Gion Kobu, the largest of the city's five geiko districts, keeps its teahouses along Hanamikoji-dori, and the Shirakawa canal runs through Gion Shinbashi to the north. Go early for the shrine and the temples behind it. Come back at dusk for the streets.
Gion has 25 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 6 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 4 neighbourhoods, 3 cafes, 2 landmarks, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 museum, 1 park or garden and 1 bathhouse. Read the Gion guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Maruyama Park?
- 473 Maruyama-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto.
- How do I get to Maruyama Park?
- The nearest station is Gion-Shijo (Keihan). Maruyama Park is in Gion, Kyoto.
- How much does Maruyama Park cost?
- Nothing. Maruyama Park is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Maruyama Park?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Maruyama Park?
- Early April.
Stay near Maruyama Park
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