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Yasaka Shrine

Yasaka Shrine

Place · Higashiyama (south)

Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0
八坂神社Higashiyama (south), KyotogoNo gate

The grounds never close: use it as the free end of the Higashiyama walk, at dawn or after dark when the lanterns are lit.

Time on site15–25 minp95 40 min
PriceFreeadult, 2026 estimate
28″ bagsNo ProblemHigashiyama (south)
Step-freePartial Warning
Sensory loadModerate3 of 5 · Moderate
  • Free, grounds never close
  • Lanterns lit after dark
  • Free entry

Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.

Rules in force · 8Large suitcases on Kyoto city buses
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • Japan ↗IC cards (ICOCA/Suica) are topped up with cash at station machines.
  • Japan ↗Smoking while walking is banned in most city centres; use designated areas.
  • Japan ↗Shinkansen bags 160–250 cm (L+W+H) need a seat reserved with the oversized-baggage area.
  • Kansai ↗ICOCA is the default IC card; Suica works too.
  • Kyoto ↗Large suitcases on Kyoto city buses: do not. Buses are crowded and oversized bags are refused or block aisles.
  • Kyoto ↗Kyoto accommodation tax is often collected in cash at the front desk.
Open 24 hours
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Map & directions
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Directions
From where I am

Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.

Plan

Open now, best time to go, opening hours

Go now?

hours and prices: check on the day
Open
Open 24 hours
Crowds

Quietest Mon–Fri · busiest Sat, Sun · desk estimate

Tickets
  • Adult: Free
Time to spend
15–25 min · up to 40 min if you linger
Directions Add to a day →

Best time to go

Busy 10:00–18:00; festival crowds in July (Gion Matsuri) and at New Year.

By weekday: quietest Mon–Fri, busiest Sat, Sun.

Opening hours
Hours
Open 24 hours
Note
Shrine grounds are open at all hours; offices keep their own hours.
Hours note
Shrine grounds open 24 hours.

Which month is quietest

desk estimate · not counted
  1. Janpacked
  2. Feblight
  3. Marbusy
  4. Aprheavy
  5. Maybusy
  6. Junlight
  7. Julpacked
  8. Augbusy
  9. Sepbusy
  10. Octbusy
  11. Novheavy
  12. Decbusy

Quietest Feb · Jun · busiest Jan · Jul.

Estimate: desk reasoning from school-trip, weekend, season and holiday patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.

Weather here, next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).

On the ground

Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work

Getting in

Stop
Gion (bus) or Gion-Shijō (Keihan), then walk east on Shijō-dōri
Ticket
free · official site
Stairs
west gate: one flight of stone steps
Shoes
Shoes on.

Accessibility

  • PartialStep-free entrance · west gate: one flight of stone steps
  • Check firstAccessible toilet

Sensory load

  • Sensory load3/5 Medium

Exposure: high

What to bring and the rules

  • Water, a hat and sun or rain cover · Rated high exposure: little shelter while you walk.

Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.

Bailouts

  • heat: Shijō-Kawaramachi department store (AC)
  • rain: Gion-Shijō station concourse

Nearest rescue anchor: C — Yasaka/Gion side: shrine rest area + convenience store

Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).

Map and nearby

Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it

Yasaka ShrineYasaka ShrineKennin-jiKiyomizu-deraSanjūsangen-dōFushimi Inari Taisha% Arabica HigashiyamaGanko Takasegawa NijoenNishiki MarketArashiyama Yoshimura

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Map layers
Show only
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Directions
From where I am

Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.

Nearby places

Eat nearby

More detail

Everything else we know about this place

Tickets, prices and entry

Tickets & entry

2026 estimate · check the posted board
Where to buy
  • No ticket needed.

Official site ↗

Free days
  • Always free — Gardens and sub-temples inside these grounds often charge.

Free entry days in Kyoto (pick Kyoto in the tool; check)

Time on site, inside and your plan

Time on site

minutes

Minimum

10min

Worthwhile

15min

Typical

25min

p95

40min

How much time do you have?

from the time-on-site figures above

Enough for a typical visit (25 min).

Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.

Step-free check, who it suits, facilities

Step-free check

  • Step-free entrance: partly · partlywest gate: one flight of stone steps
  • Accessible toilet: check · check

One flight of stone steps at the west gate on Shijō; the south and north approaches are flatter (check).

Combine with

Combine with

nearest first
  1. —Maruyama Park (behind the shrine)
  2. —Kiyomizu-dera (up the slope)

Walk the Higashiyama (south) area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes

Best photo time

Best photo time today

Sun times for today load in your browser.

Deep dive

Questions, photos, and where our facts come from

Questions and answers

Questions and answers

answered by Voykit editors · dated
When are the lanterns lit?

Every evening after dusk; the stage lanterns are the photo.

Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk

Answers come from Voykit editors, not from other travellers.
Photos

Photos

2 · free licences, credited
Deep dive

Sources

FieldValueSource typeConfidence
cutoff.statusopen 24hsecondary75%

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Directions
57 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
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