Shusuitei
Imperial Palace, Kyoto
- Thu to Sat
- 9:30 to 15:30
- Mon to Wed, Sun
- Closed
Last entry 15:15. Also open on the Aoi Matsuri (15 May) and the Jidai Matsuri (22 October). Closed at New Year.
Source: fng.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Shusuitei is the only building left of the Kujo family, one of the five regent houses, put up about 200 years ago as a pavilion for tea gatherings. It keeps two tea rooms of ten and three mats, and from upstairs you look over the Kujo pond and the Takakura bridge. On the pond beside it, Itsukushima Shrine has a stone torii with a curved gable top, one of Kyoto's three unusual torii.
Insider tip
It opens only on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, plus the Aoi Matsuri and Jidai Matsuri days, and entry is ¥300. In mid-July the crape myrtle by the pond turns the view red.
Tickets and tours
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What's on near Shusuitei
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Shusuitei, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Autumn Tenjin-san Handmade Market at Sugawarain Tenmangu
秋の天神さまの手作り市【菅原院天満宮神社】
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Marutamachi (Karasuma Line), 5 min walk
Handmade accessories, fabric goods and sweets at a shrine said to stand on the birthplace of Sugawara no Michizane, with Gosho maples as the backdrop. Rain or shine.
Agnes Illumination 2026
アグネス・イルミネーション 2026
Time 16:30 to 21:00 (18:05 to 21:00 on 20 November) Station Marutamachi (Karasuma Line), exit 2, 5 min walk
Students and staff of Heian Jogakuin University build the campus illumination on the theme of love, and a vehicle-powered light-up runs 10 to 12 December. Free, open to the public.
Nijo Castle and the Opening of the Edo Shogunate
特別展「二条城と江戸開府～慶長から寛永の京の城～」
Time 9:00 to 17:00 (closed Mon, holidays, 28 Dec to 4 Jan) Station Jingu-Marutamachi (Keihan)
Old documents, picture scrolls and maps trace Nijo Castle from Tokugawa Ieyasu's building of it to the 1626 imperial visit, with gallery talks on 19 Nov and 3 Dec. Closed Mondays and holidays.
Inoko-sai at Goo Shrine
亥子祭
Time From 17:00 Station Marutamachi (Karasuma Line), 6 min walk
Goo Shrine, guarded by stone boars, re-creates a Heian court custom in which inoko rice cakes are pounded and carried to the Imperial Palace by a procession in court dress, then shared with visitors back at the shrine. You can join the procession in a boar-crested jacket for an offering of ¥1,000 or more on the day.
Brakeet, CC0 1.0 Kan'ei Imperial Procession Re-enactment (400th Anniversary)
寛永行幸四百年祭 行幸行列再現
Time Leaves Kenreimon about 12:30, reaches Nijo Castle east gate about 15:00 Station Marutamachi or Imadegawa (Karasuma Line)
About 330 people re-create Emperor Go-Mizunoo's 1626 procession to Nijo Castle in three groups, led by Empress Masako, the shogun Iemitsu and the emperor, with court musicians, walking about 3 km from the palace's Kenreimon gate. It goes ahead in light rain but not heavy rain, and Nijo Castle's last entry that day is at noon.
DavideGorla, CC BY 2.0 Nearby
Around Imperial Palace
Free palace walks, a park that never shuts, and the court's old shops
Kyoto Gyoen, a park 1.3 km long in central Kyoto, never closes. The Kyoto Imperial Palace sits inside it, and you can walk round it for free without booking. Around the edges you'll find Shokoku-ji (head of the Zen branch that takes in Kinkaku-ji), the house site where The Tale of Genji was written, and shops that once supplied the court.
Imperial Palace has 23 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 6 shrines and temples, 5 landmarks, 3 museums, 2 cafes, 2 restaurants, 2 shops, 2 parks and gardens and 1 bar. Read the Imperial Palace guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Shusuitei?
- Kyoto Gyoen, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区京都御苑内).
- What are the opening hours of Shusuitei?
- Thu to Sat 9:30 to 15:30; Closed Mon to Wed, Sun. Last entry 15:15. Also open on the Aoi Matsuri (15 May) and the Jidai Matsuri (22 October). Closed at New Year.
- How do I get to Shusuitei?
- The nearest station is Marutamachi (Karasuma Line). Shusuitei is in Imperial Palace, Kyoto.
- How much does Shusuitei cost?
- Shusuitei is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Shusuitei?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Shusuitei?
- Mid-July, for the crape myrtle.
Stay near Shusuitei
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