Shoden-eigen-in Garden and the Joan tea house
This season's opening
Autumn garden opening
- Hours
- 10:00–16:30 (last entry 16:00); may close on days with temple services
- Admission
- ¥1,000
- Booking
- No booking
The garden with its replica of Oda Urakusai's Joan tea house. According to the Kyoto city listing, the Hojo wall paintings and sliding doors painted by former prime minister Hosokawa Morihiro are also shown
No tea is served this autumn (Kyoto city listing). A limited-edition temple stamp is available. Combine it with Kyusho-in (until Nov 30) in the same precinct
About the garden
Two temples merged here in the Meiji era: Shoden-in, revived by Oda Urakusai (Nobunaga's younger brother and a tea master), and Eigen-an, the family temple of the Hosokawa clan. There is a replica of Urakusai's National Treasure tea house, Joan, with its garden path, and you can enter only during the spring and autumn openings.
Where to stand
Start in the Hojo and look out. The stone five-storey pagoda in the garden, about six metres tall, is a memorial to the tea pioneer Takeno Joo; it came back to this temple in 2021 after about a century away. Check how it sits in relation to the wooden statue of Urakusai in the main hall. Then go round to the Joan replica and its path, and feel for yourself how a guest is led to the tea-room entrance.
Practical notes
Shoden-eigen-in is normally closed; the autumn garden viewing runs Nov 21–Dec 6, 2026 (10:00–16:30, last entry 16:00, ¥1,000) and may be suspended on days with temple services. The Kyoto city listing says no tea is served this autumn. It is inside the Kennin-ji precinct, so pair it with Kyusho-in and Kennin-ji's main gardens.
Tea and food nearby
Small places within walking distance. Check their opening days against the garden's.
- 5 min walkfrom Kennin-ji Gardens☕ CafeGion Ishi tea room
A tea room upstairs from a stone shop on Shijo-dori. The lift takes you away from the street noise to a sepia-toned room where you can talk over the gardens.
Order：Lemon jelly
11:30–19:00 (last order 18:30)Closed: Wednesdays and Thursdays (open alternate Thursdays)¥1,000–2,000Details ↗ - 7 min walkfrom Kennin-ji Gardens☕ CafeKiritoshi Shinshindo (kissaten)
A 13-seat coffee shop in a Gion side street since 1946. It opens at 10:00, a good meeting point before a round of the Kennin-ji sub-temples.
Order：Ham toast sandwich