Heian Shrine: The Shin'en Garden, Jidai Matsuri and When to Go
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Updated 21 October 2026 · 3 min read
Quick answer
Heian Shrine's vast courtyard and giant torii are free, and the Shin'en garden behind it costs ¥600. The garden opens at 8:30 am, and that's the calmest time. It's busiest in mid-April, when the famous weeping cherries bloom, and on 22 October for the Jidai Matsuri procession, which ends here. June brings irises with fewer crowds.
At a glance
- Courtyard
- Free
- Shin'en garden
- ¥600 adults, ¥300 children
- Garden hours
- From 8:30 am, closing 4:30-5:30 pm by season
- Jidai Matsuri
- 22 October every year
- Best time
- 8:30 am on a weekday
- Busiest
- Mid-April, 22 October, New Year
- Getting there
- Higashiyama Station (Tōzai Line), 10 minutes
- Time to allow
- 1 hour with the garden
How busy is Heian Shrine?
Heian Shrine was built in 1895 for Kyoto's 1,100th anniversary, as a scaled replica of the original imperial palace. Its 24 m torii is one of Japan's largest. The courtyard is huge and rarely feels crowded. The Shin'en garden gets busy in spring.