Murin-an
Okazaki, Kyoto
1 Apr to 30 Sep
- Daily
- 9:00 to 18:00
Rest of the year
- Daily
- 9:00 to 17:00
Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Entry is in hourly time slots booked online, and without a booking you may be turned away when it's busy. Closed 29 to 31 December, open over the New Year.
Source: murin-an.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Murin-an was the villa of the Meiji statesman Yamagata Aritomo, built from 1894 to 1896, and the seventh Ogawa Jihei laid out its garden with Lake Biwa Canal water running through it like a country stream and the Higashiyama hills as its backdrop. Yamagata wanted lawn, not moss, though more than 50 kinds of moss have since taken over. Upstairs in the Western-style house is the room where he and Ito Hirobumi talked foreign policy before the Russo-Japanese War.
Insider tip
Book an hourly slot online, up to 30 days ahead, because only 15 people go in at a time and walk-ins can be turned away when it's busy. Entry is ¥600 on normal days and up to ¥1,500 on busy dates, including 31 October to 6 December 2026. On the 28th of each month it's free if you're 35 or under.
What the guides say about Murin-an
17. Some places sell timed tickets. Murin-an lets in 15 people at a time, on hourly slots you book online up to 30 days ahead. Nijo Castle's Honmaru Palace costs ¥1,000 extra on a timed web ticket that goes on sale 30 days ahead, and seats on the Sagano Romantic Train go on sale online at midnight a month before. Eikan-do doesn't sell tickets ahead, so you just turn up early.
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 at Murin-an
Upcoming events at Murin-an and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Yamagata Aritomo, As He Really Was at Murin-an
企画展示「ありのままの山縣有朋」
Time 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30 Station Keage (Tozai Line), 6 min walk
Student exhibition on the garden's builder, held with the Kyoto Modern Architecture Festival.
Daderot, Public domain Twilight Garden Party at Murin-an
秋の紅葉特別夜間公開 トワイライト庭園パーティー2026
Time Nov 14, 15, 21, 22 and 23. Sessions 17:30 to 19:30 and 19:30 to 21:30 Station Keage (Tozai Line), 6 min walk
Evening autumn foliage opening with café access and a short garden commentary, 30 guests per session.
Daderot, Public domain New Year Garden Guide and Special Tea Sweets at Murin-an
新春の日本庭園で楽しむ お正月特別ガイドと特別茶菓子（2027）
Time 9:00 to 17:00, guide and sweets 9:00 to 16:30, 30 people per hour Station Keage (Tozai Line), 6 min walk
A 15-minute garden tour at five past and half past each hour, with New Year sweets and matcha available.
Daderot, Public domain 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.
Kyoto City Zoo Autumn Night Opening
京都市動物園 秋の夜間開園
Time 10 to 12, 17, 24 and 31 Oct and 7 Nov, open to 20:00 (last entry 19:30) Station Keage (Tozai Line), 7 min walk
On seven autumn days the zoo stays open until 20:00 and is lit after dark, with keeper talks at 17:30, 18:00 and 18:30 and an outdoor film at 19:00 from 12 Oct. Entry is the usual ¥750, free for junior high school students and younger, and gorillas, monkeys and some birds aren't on show at night.
inunami, 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
- What is the address of Murin-an?
- 31 Nanzenji Kusakawacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区南禅寺草川町31番地).
- What are the opening hours of Murin-an?
- 1 Apr to 30 Sep: Daily 9:00 to 18:00. Rest of the year: Daily 9:00 to 17:00. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Entry is in hourly time slots booked online, and without a booking you may be turned away when it's busy. Closed 29 to 31 December, open over the New Year.
- How do I get to Murin-an?
- The nearest station is Keage (Tozai Line). Murin-an is in Okazaki, Kyoto.
- How much does Murin-an cost?
- Murin-an is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Murin-an?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Murin-an?
- Right at opening.
Stay near Murin-an
Browse live availability and compare prices around Okazaki.
See hotels near Murin-an on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Kyoto earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.