Shichimiya Honpo
Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:30 to 17:30
Hours change with the season. Open every day.
Source: shichimiya.co.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Shichimiya has been on the corner where Sannenzaka meets Kiyomizu-zaka since 1655. It started as a tea stall called Kawachiya that served karashi-yu to people walking up to the temple, and later turned it into the seven-spice shichimi togarashi it's named after.
Insider tip
The shichimi counts as one of Japan's three famous blends, and it goes easy on the heat. The sansho pepper powder is just as famous.
What's on near Shichimiya Honpo
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Shichimiya Honpo, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Seiryu-e Blue Dragon Procession at Kiyomizu-dera (March)
青龍会（清水寺）
Time About 14:00 to 15:30 Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (City Bus 207)
An 18 m blue dragon leads a procession in ceremonial robes from the Okunoin past the Otowa waterfall and down into the shops of the approach, then back up through the Niomon gate to the main hall. You can watch it free from the street.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kiyomizu-dera Spring Night Viewing
清水寺 春の夜間特別拝観
Time Open to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (City Bus 207)
The temple stays open to 21:30 while its 1,500 or so cherries are out, and a blue beam of light from the grounds shines out over the city. No booking needed.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Seiryu-e Blue Dragon Procession at Kiyomizu-dera (April)
青龍会（清水寺）
Time About 14:00 to 15:30 Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (City Bus 207)
An 18 m blue dragon leads a procession in ceremonial robes from the Okunoin past the Otowa waterfall and down into the shops of the approach, then back up through the Niomon gate to the main hall. You can watch it free from the street.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Seiryu-e Blue Dragon Procession at Kiyomizu-dera
青龍会
Time 14:00 to about 15:30 Station Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206), 15 min walk
An 18 m blue dragon, guarded by the Four Heavenly Kings and led by conch-blowing monks, winds from the Okunoin past Otowa Falls, out through the West Gate and the shopping street below, then back up through the Nio Gate to the main hall. The procession began in 2000, and you can watch it from the street outside the gate.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Joju-in Garden Special Opening at Kiyomizu-dera
成就院庭園特別拝観
Time Last entry 16:00 (from 10:00), evening 18:00 to 20:30 (last entry) Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 206), 10 min walk
Joju-in, where the monk Gessho and Saigo Takamori are said to have met in secret before the Meiji Restoration, opens its 'Moon Garden', an early Edo garden that borrows Kodaiji-yama hill as its backdrop. It's a national Place of Scenic Beauty, open by day and again in the evening.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Nearby
Around Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera at opening, then the temples and pottery below it
Higashiyama is a whole ward, but this guide covers the slope from Kiyomizu-dera down to Shichijo-dori. Go early. The temple's gates open at 6:00, and if you're there then, you'll reach its wooden stage long before the day's crowds. Later, walk down past the pottery shops of Gojozaka to Sanjusangendo, where 1,001 statues of Kannon stand in a hall 120 metres long.
Higashiyama has 22 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 10 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 2 museums, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 cafe, 1 viewpoint, 1 restaurant and 1 landmark. Read the Higashiyama guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Shichimiya Honpo?
- 2-221 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区清水２丁目２２１).
- What are the opening hours of Shichimiya Honpo?
- Daily 9:30 to 17:30. Hours change with the season. Open every day.
- How do I get to Shichimiya Honpo?
- The nearest station is Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 206). Shichimiya Honpo is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Shichimiya Honpo cost?
- Shichimiya Honpo is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Shichimiya Honpo?
- Plan for 15 min.
- When is the best time to visit Shichimiya Honpo?
- On the way up to the temple.
Stay near Shichimiya Honpo
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