Photo Spot · Okazaki / Keage

Keage Incline 蹴上インクライン

A disused 582 m inclined railway that once hauled boats up and down the Lake Biwa Canal, now a tunnel of cherry blossom you can walk along the rails.

About

The Keage Incline operated from 1891 to 1948, carrying canal boats on carts up and down a 36 m height difference between the Lake Biwa Canal and the Okazaki canal, then the longest incline railway in the world. Its rails, sleepers and a restored boat cart remain, and the track is lined with about 90 cherry trees, making it one of Kyoto's most photographed hanami spots in early April. A small brick tunnel, the Nejirimanpo, passes underneath with its bricks laid in a spiral pattern for strength. The Lake Biwa Canal Museum and the Biwako Sosui boat landing are at the top, and Nanzen-ji's aqueduct is a short walk away.

Highlights

• Old rails lined with cherry trees
• Restored boat cart at the top
• Nejirimanpo spiral-brick tunnel
• Lake Biwa Canal Museum next door
• Easy link to Nanzen-ji and the aqueduct

Tips

• Walk the rails early in cherry season; by mid-morning it is packed.
• The Nejirimanpo tunnel is the route to Nanzen-ji from Keage Station.
• In winter and summer it is quiet, still interesting for the industrial history.
• Free.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• The Westin Miyako KyotoStay · 170 m away
• Nanzenji JunseiRestaurant · 260 m away
• Lake Biwa Canal MuseumMuseum · 370 m away
• Murin-anGarden · 380 m away
• Nanzen-ji and Suirokaku AqueductTemple · 410 m away
• FUFU KyotoStay · 450 m away
• Okutan NanzenjiRestaurant · 480 m away
• Kyoto City ZooZoo & Aquarium · 510 m away