Photo Spot · Higashiyama

Yasaka Pagoda from Yasaka-dori 八坂の塔 (法観寺)

The classic Kyoto postcard: the five-storey Yasaka Pagoda of Hokan-ji rising at the top of a stone-paved slope lined with wooden machiya, best shot at dawn or blue hour.

About

The 46 m Yasaka-no-to is the pagoda of Hokan-ji, a temple said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku in the 6th century; the current pagoda was rebuilt in 1440 by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori. It towers over the Higashiyama district, and the view from the bottom of the sloping Yasaka-dori street, with old wooden houses on both sides and the pagoda rising at the top, is the most famous street shot in Kyoto, along with variants from Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka and from Kodai-ji's Nene-no-michi. The interior can occasionally be visited (open irregularly; a small fee), with a climb to the second floor. At dawn the street is empty, and at blue hour the streetlights glow.

Highlights

• Iconic view up Yasaka-dori to the pagoda
• Pagoda of 1440, an Important Cultural Property
• Machiya-lined stone slope
• Kimono-wearing visitors and rickshaws
• Blue hour and dawn compositions

Tips

• Be there before 7:00 for a clean shot; by 9:00 it is crowded.
• Stand on the slope below Yasaka-dori's intersection with Higashioji-dori, or at the foot of Sannenzaka.
• The pagoda interior opens irregularly; check signs at the gate.
• Be respectful: residents live here, do not block doorways.

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

Nearby

• Yasaka KoshindoPhoto Spot · 60 m away
• Camellia Tea Ceremony (Flower Teahouse)Activities & Experiences · 80 m away
• % Arabica Kyoto HigashiyamaCafé & Sweets · 100 m away
• Sannenzaka and NinenzakaShopping Street · 110 m away
• Starbucks Kyoto Ninenzaka Yasaka ChayaCafé & Sweets · 120 m away
• The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto KiyomizuStay · 130 m away
• Donguri Republic NinenzakaPokémon & Character Store · 130 m away
• KasagiyaCafé & Sweets · 140 m away