Dating back to the 17th century, Kyoto’s Shugakuin Imperial Villa was commissioned by Emperor Go-Mizunoo and was expanded over the years by subsequent emperors. The current compound contains a number of lovely traditional structures surrounded by stunning natural landscapes that include gardens, streams, a large pond, hills, and even rice paddies! Shugakuin served as a seasonal retreat for the Imperial family and is now open to the public, by reservation only – on small group tours.
How do you visit Shugakuin? Reservations can be made in advance online or by physically visiting the Kyoto Office of the Imperial Household Agency. Same day applications are accepted in person at the front gate of Shugakuin starting from 11am – if the maximum number of participants has not yet been reached. As summer is slow season, for the 1:30 tour, I arrived at noon, applied and received my ticket, and then went to lunch. I was required to return 20 minutes in advance – for official check-in (you must show a passport or gaijin card).
Shugakuin is a 15 minute walk uphill from Shirakawa-dori, where there are a number of restaurants and cafes. Within a short walk, there are no shops and only a handful of places to eat. One, Kobayashi-ya, is a simple soba noodle place just a minute away. Kobayashi-ya is closed on Mondays. Cafe Luana is about five minutes from Shugakuin. Although Google Maps says it is open, it was closed the past two times I stopped by and its last Facebook post was in 2019. However, they do have a rather nice website, so who knows?
Roku is a fantastic little hiking-themed cafe run by a young couple. It is also about five minutes on foot from Shugakuin. Customers choose from two lunches made with locally grown vegetables and rice, a daily plate or curry. Both are healthy and delicious! Roku also boasts a variety of desserts – seasonal pound cake and cheesecake, a chocolate cake, and trail bars. Drink choices include tea, coffee, juice, beer, etc. Roku is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. rokukyoto.net
Upon my return to Shugakuin at 1:10, I was instructed to bring my bicycle inside the gates. All participants lined up at a window where they turned in their tickets and had their id’s checked. As the tour is only in Japanese, I strongly suggest borrowing the free multi language headset. The explanations are not as lengthy as what the Japanese guide provides, but the basics are covered.
After checking in, participants are herded into a ‘visitor center’ where there is a toilet, waiting room, and small souvenir stand. At 1:18, participants are shown a 12 minute video subtitled in English, before a guide arrives and the tour begins.
The tour pace is very slow and lasts 80-90 minutes. If you speak Japanese, the guide provides a very detailed explanation. There is ample time to take photos, although some views will always have participants in them. Our guide actually spoke excellent English, but she never said anything to the non-Japanese on the tour until it ended – when she thanked us for coming. So, if you attend, it might be possible to ask questions in English when walking from one spot to another.
The tour starts in the ‘Lower Villa’ area (which as of Sept 2023 was under construction – so we didn’t see much more than a gate). We then walked through a low pine tree-lined path in the middle of rice paddies and farmland to the ‘Middle Villa’. The tour then back-tracked through the pines to another uphill pine tree-lined path to the ‘Upper Villa’. We rested for a short time at the Rinuntei, a teahouse located on the top of a hill overlooking the garden and Yokuryuchi pond below. We then walked around the pond and back down to the main entrance.
The website states that they take 50 people per tour – which take place at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:30, and 15:00. Due to Covid, I think that number has been reduced – there were less than 20 people in my group.
Shugakuin is closed on Mondays, New Year holidays, and any day that an Imperial Court function is taking place.
For more information, or to register, click HERE.
Do I recommend a visit? If you borrow a headset and can be very patient, yes! It is a special place, definitely worth seeing. I would recommend renting bicycles and combining a visit with an exploration of the area. There are many impressive lesser-known temples nearby – including Manshuin and Sekizan-zenin.