Landmark

Shugakuin Imperial Villa

Shugakuin, Kyoto

Address
Shugakuin Yabuzoe, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 〒606-8052 京都市左京区修学院藪添

Source: kyoto-gosho.kunaicho.go.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.

The Yokuryuchi pond at Shugakuin Imperial Villa with cherry trees in bloom and mountains beyond
Photo: KimonBerlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Retired Emperor Gomizuno-o built Shugakuin Imperial Villa on the slopes of Mount Hiei between 1656 and 1659. It's three gardens on three levels, joined by pine-lined paths through rice paddies. From the Rinuntei pavilion at the top you look across the Yokuryuchi pond to the whole of Kyoto and the western mountains.

Nearest station Shugakuin (Eizan Railway)
Cost Free
Time needed 1-2 hours
Best time Autumn
FreeAutumn colour

Insider tip

Visits are on a free guided tour of about 80 minutes, in Japanese, with audio guides in English for a limited number of people. You must be 18 or over, and you need your passport. Apply online from the first day of the month three months ahead, or try for one of 50 walk-in places at the gate from 8:40. The route is about 3 km with steep slopes.

What the guides say about Shugakuin Imperial Villa

Shugakuin is three gardens on three levels on the slopes of Mount Hiei, joined by paths through rice paddies. The free tour takes about 80 minutes, in Japanese, with English audio guides for a limited number of people. Under-18s aren't allowed, and you'll need your passport. Apply online from the first day of the month three months ahead, or try for one of 50 walk-in places from 8:40. It's four stops from Demachiyanagi on the Eizan (¥220), then 20 minutes on foot, and the 3 km route has steep slopes.

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Nearby

Shisen-do Temple · 14 min walk The retreat where the poet Ishikawa Jozan (1583 to 1672) spent his last years, now a temple under Eihei-ji of the Soto Zen sect. Keibunsha Ichijoji Shopping · 22 min walk Keibunsha calls itself a shop of all sorts of things to do with books. Tenka Ippin Sohonten Food · 22 min walk The head shop of Tenka Ippin, the ramen chain built on kotteri, a soup of chicken bones and vegetables so thick the company calls it a soup you eat... Ginkaku-ji Temple · 2.9 km away Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the eighth Muromachi shogun, began building a mountain villa here in 1482, and after his death in 1490 it became the Zen temple... Hakusasonso Museum · 3.0 km away The house, studios and garden of Hashimoto Kansetsu (1883 to 1945), a Nihonga painter who built the place over about 32 years from 1913 and moved in... Shimogamo Shrine Shrine · 3.0 km away You reach Shimogamo Shrine through Tadasu no Mori, a 12.4-hectare forest with clear streams that runs from the main halls south to Kawai Shrine.

Good to know

What is the address of Shugakuin Imperial Villa?
Shugakuin Yabuzoe, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区修学院藪添).
How do I get to Shugakuin Imperial Villa?
The nearest station is Shugakuin (Eizan Railway). Shugakuin Imperial Villa is in Shugakuin, Kyoto.
How much does Shugakuin Imperial Villa cost?
Nothing. Shugakuin Imperial Villa is free to visit.
How long do you need at Shugakuin Imperial Villa?
Plan for 1-2 hours.
When is the best time to visit Shugakuin Imperial Villa?
Autumn.

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