Higashiyama District

What to know

The Higashiyama District (東山), nestled on the lower slopes of Kyoto's eastern mountains, ranks among the city's finest preserved historic areas. It offers an authentic taste of old Kyoto, especially along the route between Kiyomizudera and Yasaka Shrine, where narrow lanes, wooden buildings, and traditional merchant shops evoke the atmosphere of the ancient capital.

Small shops, cafes, and restaurants line the streets of Higashiyama, serving tourists and pilgrims for centuries. While many have been renovated over time, they retain their traditional charm and continue to offer local specialties such as pottery, sweets, pickles, crafts, and other souvenirs.

Shops and restaurants typically open around nine or ten in the morning and close relatively early, around five or six in the evening. The walk through Higashiyama from Kiyomizudera to Yasaka Shrine is only about two kilometers and can be done in half an hour, but you could easily spend half a day or more exploring the temples, shrines, shops, and cafes along the way. Energetic walkers may enjoy continuing beyond Yasaka Shrine past Chionin and Shorenin to Heian Shrine, and possibly as far as Ginkakuji Temple via Nanzenji and the Philosopher's Path.

From Kyoto Station, take bus number 206 toward Kiyomizudera. The Higashiyama district can be accessed from several bus stops between Gojozaka (10 minutes, 230 yen one way) and Gion (15 minutes, 230 yen).

Alternatively, the district is a 10-15 minute walk from Kiyomizu-Gojo Station or Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan Line, from Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station on the Hankyu Line, or from Higashiyama Station on the Tozai Subway Line.