Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pavilion'.
Escaping the crowds and find yourself at the superb Buddhist sanctuary of
Hōnen-in
Explore: Northern Higashiyama
Running along the base of the Higashiyama (Eastern Mountains) from Sanjō-dōri in the
south to Imadegawa-dōri in the north, the Northern Higashiyama area is one of Kyoto's
most important sightseeing areas. It comprises a fairly large area and can be explored on
foot, mostly over car-free walkways, making it one of the most pleasant areas for sightsee-
ing in Kyoto.
Northern Higashiyama can be divided into two main sections: the strip of temples loc-
ated directly at the base of the mountains, most of which are accessible from the lovely
Path of Philosophy and the museums/shrine district known as Okazaki-kōen (Okazaki
Park), which occupies a wide swath of the area between the mountains and the river.
You can explore each section of Northern Higashiyama in about half a day, but a full
day allows a more leisurely pace.
Many people use Kyoto city bus 5 to access this area - and this is certainly convenient
since this bus traverses the entire district - but keep in mind that this bus is often crowded
and it can be slow. If coming from Kyoto Station or Downtown, it's probably better to
take the subway here. The Tōzai subway line will get you to Higashiyama Station, which
is convenient for Okazaki-kōen, and Keage Station, which is convenient for Nanzen-ji and
sights north.
Unfortunately, there are no trains or subways convenient to the northern end of this dis-
trict. A variety of buses will take you to Downtown and Kyoto Station.
This is the best area in Kyoto for bicycling and a rental cycle is one of the best ways to
explore Northern Higashiyama.
