Neighbourhood in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Okazaki
岡崎
Kyoto's cultural quarter around Heian Shrine's giant torii, with art museums, the zoo, villa gardens and the great Zen temple of Nanzen-ji.
- places to see
- 10
- walk past the highlights
- 2.3 km
- Kyoto
- Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Okazaki was laid out as Kyoto's cultural district after 1895, when the city held the 1100th anniversary of its founding and a national industrial exhibition here. The exhibition grounds became the precinct of Heian Shrine, built as a 5/8-scale copy of the old imperial palace, and its torii is one of the largest in Japan.
Around Okazaki Park are the Kyoto City art museum, which opened in 1933, the National Museum of Modern Art and the city zoo, which opened in 1903. East towards the hills are the villa gardens fed by the Lake Biwa Canal, including Murin-an, and the Zen temple of Nanzen-ji. More of the ward is in our Sakyo guide.
Don't miss in Okazaki
Start with these, then wander the side streets.
1. Heian Jingu Shrine
平安神宮The shrine with Kyoto's giant red torii, built in 1895 as a 5/8-scale copy of the old palace, with a large garden.
2. Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
京都市美術館Kyoto's city art museum, renovated with a modern glass entrance.
3. National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
京都国立近代美術館National museum of modern art, strong on Kyoto crafts and ceramics.
4. Kyoto City Zoo
京都市動物園One of Japan's oldest zoos, small and easy to see in an hour or two.
5. Murin-an
無鄰菴Meiji-era villa with a garden that borrows the Higashiyama hills as its backdrop.
6. Nanzen-ji Temple
南禅寺Great Zen temple at the foot of the hills, with a huge gate and a brick aqueduct.
Walk Okazaki in order
The highlights as one easy walk, about 2.3 km in all.
Stop 1
Heian Jingu Shrine
Start here
Stop 2
Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
8 min walk
Stop 3
National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
3 min walk
Stop 4
Kyoto City Zoo
6 min walk
Stop 5
Murin-an
3 min walk
Stop 6
Nanzen-ji Temple
11 min walk
More around Okazaki
Other places within walking distance. Each shows its Japanese name for maps and taxis.
Fujii Saiseikai Yurinkan Museum
藤井斉成会有鄰館A museum in Kyoto, Japan.
Heian Jingu Shrine Garden
平安神宮神苑A garden in Kyoto, Japan.
Namikawa Cloisonne Museum of Kyoto
並河靖之七宝記念館A museum in Kyoto, Japan.
Awata Shrine
粟田神社A Shinto shrine in Kyoto, Japan.
Okazaki on the map
Every place on this page. Tap a pin for directions.
Questions
How do I get to Okazaki?
Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line is about 10 minutes' walk away, and several city buses stop at Okazaki Koen.
What is there to do in Okazaki?
Visit Heian Shrine and its garden, the art museums, the zoo, the gardens of Murin-an and Nanzen-ji, then walk the Philosopher's Path.
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.
More areas in Kyoto
- GionKyoto's best-known geisha district, with wooden teahouses along Hanamikoji, the Shirakawa canal and Yasaka Shrine at the top of Shijo-dori.
- PontochoA narrow lantern-lit alley of restaurants and teahouses beside the Kamo River, a few minutes from Nishiki Market and the Teramachi arcades.
- Kiyomizu and SannenzakaKyoto's most visited temple on its hillside stage, reached by stone-paved lanes of old wooden shops and the Yasaka Pagoda.
- Fushimi InariThe head shrine of Inari at the foot of a sacred mountain, with thousands of red torii gates forming tunnels up the trails.
- ArashiyamaKyoto's western edge, where the bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji temple and the Togetsukyo Bridge sit below forested hills along the river.
