Keage Incline
Okazaki, Kyoto
The Keage Incline is a 582 m inclined railway that carried canal boats up and down a 36 m drop on wheeled carriages, so cargo never had to be unloaded. It was the longest in the world when it was built. The rails are still there, and you can walk the whole slope between rows of cherry trees.
Insider tip
You can walk the rails freely, and there's no ticket. Look for Nejiri-manpo, the brick tunnel under the incline, whose bricks are laid in a spiral so it looks like it's twisting.
What the guides say about Keage Incline
13. Okazaki and the canal. Nanzen-ji's 22 m Sanmon has a balcony you can climb (¥600), and a red-brick aqueduct carries the Lake Biwa Canal past the temple. Walk the rails of the Keage Incline, 582 m of old boat railway, for free. Murin-an lets in 15 people at a time on hourly slots you book online.
What's on near Keage Incline
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Keage Incline, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
kokoka Open Day 2026 and Peace Memorial Project
kokokaオープンデイ2026
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Keage (Tozai Line)
On Culture Day the international house holds its open day, with the city's Hiroshima and Nagasaki peace memorial display, a VR video of the Peace Park and children's paintings in the sister-city corner.
Lake Biwa Canal Boat, Autumn Season
びわ湖疏水船 令和8年秋シーズン
Time See timetable on the organiser site Station Keage landing: Tozai Line Keage, exit 1, 5 min walk; Yamashina landing: Keihan Shinomiya, 10 min walk
Boats run through the Lake Biwa Canal on 53 days from 2 October to 6 December, between Keage, Yamashina and Otsu. Lake Biwa and Otsu Port service on 8 days in late November. Reservation required.
Awata Matsuri
粟田神社大祭（粟田祭）
Time Yowatari from 17:00 (Sun), procession from 10:00 (Sports Day) Station Higashiyama (Tozai Line), 7 min walk
Awata Shrine's festival runs over the Sports Day weekend. The Oide-matsuri is on the Saturday evening and the Yowatari night procession on the Sunday, and on Sports Day kenboko halberds, said to be the forerunners of the Gion Matsuri floats, go out ahead of the mikoshi. The main rite follows on 15 October.
Okazaki Sakura Kairo Jikkokubune cherry blossom boats
岡崎さくら回廊 十石舟めぐり
Time 9:30-16:30 every 15 min
Boat rides along the Okazaki canal under the cherry trees from Nanzenji Funatamari, with a departure every 15 minutes from 9:30 to 16:30. Extra boats may run.
Marmontel, CC BY 2.0 Nanzen-ji Early Morning Special Opening
南禅寺 秋の早朝特別拝観
Time 7:30 to 8:20 (meet at 7:20, about 50 minutes), Nanzen-in from 8:40; booking by online form, closes 3 days before at 16:00 Station Keage Station (Tozai Line), 10 min walk
A monk guides a group of 30 through the normally closed Seiryoden Ohiru-no-ma of the Hojo and the inner sanctum of the Sanmon gate. Photography is banned, guidance is in Japanese, and the ticket includes entry to Nanzen-in afterwards. Held only on 3, 7, 8, 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29 Nov.
Marmontel, CC BY 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Japanese Film Screenings with English Subtitles at kokoka Performance
Wed 4 Nov, Thu 5 Nov, Fri 6 Nov · Kyoto International Community House (kokoka), Event Hall, Awataguchi
Three free afternoon screenings of Japanese films with English subtitles, Departures, Tales of Genji and Sound! Euphonium, with 200 seats and no booking.
Free · 14:00 (doors 13:30) · Map · Source: The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office · Japanese Film Screenings with English Subtitles
Nearby
Around Okazaki
Art museums, Meiji gardens and Nanzen-ji along the Lake Biwa Canal
Okazaki is Kyoto's museum quarter. Two art museums sit either side of the approach to Heian Shrine, by its giant torii, and the zoo, a crafts museum and ROHM Theatre Kyoto are a few minutes away round Okazaki Park. Follow the Lake Biwa Canal east and you're at Nanzen-ji, with Eikan-do and Murin-an a short walk from its gate.
Okazaki has 27 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 9 shrines and temples, 6 museums, 4 restaurants, 2 cafes, 2 shops, 2 landmarks and 2 parks and gardens. Read the Okazaki guide.
Good to know
- How do I get to Keage Incline?
- The nearest station is Keage (Tozai Line). Keage Incline is in Okazaki, Kyoto.
- How much does Keage Incline cost?
- Nothing. Keage Incline is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Keage Incline?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Keage Incline?
- Early morning in cherry season.
Stay near Keage Incline
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