Heian Shrine

Heian Shrine is a Shinto shrine a short walk from Higashiyama station in Kyoto.

The shrine starts with one of Japan’s largest Torii gates at 25 meters high. Walking through you have a few museums here . The Municipal Museum of Art and The National Museum of Modern Art.

I was lucky enough to be staying near by in an Air bnb in November 2016 and had the Torii as my view.

I walked here every morning to a lovely Starbucks for a morning coffee on Nijo Dori. Which was part of an extensive bookshop.

After passing the galleries and past the Starbucks on the main road you go onto Okazaki-koen park which walks you up to the main front.

As you walk into the main gravel front area the main hall is very impressive.

I was lucky to visit here also one spring time and paid the fee of ¥600 to visit the beautiful gardens behind which have the most wonderful weeping cherry trees.

I would recommend walking to the nearby Okazaki shrine from here or rabbit shrine as it’s known. A very quiet shrine I visited here early one morning after my Starbucks and had the place to myself.