Kyoto · Central Kyoto (Kitano)

Kitano Tenmangu Odoi Maple Grove

Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Normally closedStroll pond garden

This season's opening

Special opening…

Kitano Tenmangu Odoi Maple Grove: Autumn Opening

Sat 31 Oct – Sun 6 Dec
Hours
9:00–16:00 (last entry 15:40)
Admission
¥1,500 (age 13+), ¥700 elementary, preschool free; tea and a sweet included
Booking
No booking
What opens

The seasonal maple grove on the 1591 Odoi rampart and down into the Kamiya river valley: about 350 maples, the red Uguisu bridge, the 400-year-old Mitsumata maple, the Baiko-ken stage and a lookout over the shrine.

Before you go

The sweet recreates a wheat-crepe confection said to be Rikyu's. The path drops into a ravine, so wear good shoes. Night illumination (from Nov 13) is a separate time slot.

Official announcement ↗Checked: 23 Sep 2026
☾ Evening opening…

Kitano Tenmangu Odoi Maple Grove: Illumination

Fri 13 Nov – Sun 6 Dec
Hours
Sunset–20:00 (last entry 19:40)
Admission
¥1,500 (age 13+), ¥700 elementary, preschool free; tea and a sweet included (whether a day ticket covers the evening is not stated)
Booking
No booking
What opens

The maple grove lit after dark: you walk the rampart slope and river ravine among illuminated maples.

Before you go

Last entry is early (19:40). Grill Yahei, a small Western-style diner in Kamishichiken a few minutes away, stays open until 21:30.

Official announcement ↗Checked: 23 Sep 2026

About the garden

A stretch of the Odoi, the earthen rampart Hideyoshi built around Kyoto in 1591, survives on the west side of Kitano Tenmangu. About 350 maples grow on its slope and down into the Kamiya river valley, and the grove opens only in season. Entry includes tea and a sweet, and in late autumn it is lit after dark.

Where to stand

The path moves between the top of the rampart and the Kamiya river below. On the red arched Uguisu bridge, look upstream and down to feel the drop between bank and river. Find the Mitsumata maple, over 400 years old, then stop at the stage built onto the Baiko-ken teahouse and the lookout that takes in the roof of the main sanctuary (a National Treasure).

Practical notes

Entry (¥1,500) includes tea and a sweet recreating a wheat-crepe confection said to have been devised by Sen no Rikyu. Autumn 2026: daytime Oct 31–Dec 6 (last entry 15:40), illumination Nov 13–Dec 6 from sunset to 20:00 (last entry 19:40). The path drops into a ravine; wear shoes with grip.

Tea and food nearby

Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.

  • 🍽 Food
    Grill Yahei (Western-style diner)
    5 min walk
    ☾ Open after the evening viewing

    A small yoshoku (Japanese-style Western) diner in the Kamishichiken geisha quarter. The illumination closes early, and this is where you can still sit down until after 21:00.

    17:30–21:30 (also 11:30–14:00 Wed–Fri); last order 30 min before closing
    Closed: Mondays and the 3rd Tuesday; no reservations
    ¥3,000–4,000 at dinner
    Details ↗
  • ☕ Cafe
    Kissa Shizuka (retro coffee house)
    10 min walk

    A 20-seat coffee house at Senbon-Imadegawa, open since 1937; walk east from the shrine before or after the maple grove.

    10:00–17:00
    Closed: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
    ¥1,000–2,000
    Details ↗