Cafeography
Kyoto · Okazaki & Nanzen-ji

Cafés in Okazaki & Nanzen-ji

Heian Shrine, the Lake Biwa Canal and the Philosopher's Path, with a 1970 jazz kissa by Kumano Jinja.

Photo: Mateusz Walendzik, Pexels License

Okazaki is the canal side of Kyoto. The Lake Biwa Canal, dug between August 1885 and April 1890 with Tanabe Sakurō, then a recent engineering graduate, as chief engineer, brought lake water for drinking, irrigation and industry, and its hydroelectric power later ran the street lights and trams.1 Heian Shrine went up here in 1895 as a five-eighths-scale copy of the old palace, built for the 1,100th anniversary of Heian-kyō and that year's industrial exposition.2

To the south-east, the canal crosses the grounds of Nanzen-ji on an aqueduct of 1890, and the Philosopher's Path follows a channel north to Ginkaku-ji.34 Okazaki's cafés range from bakeries near Higashiyama Station to a confectioner's tea house near the path.

Local tip: Kanō Shōjuan's tea house sits near the Nanzen-ji end of the Philosopher's Path, so take tea first and walk the 30 minutes north to Ginkaku-ji after. It is closed on Wednesdays.

At a glance

86Cafés listed
13With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Green Door, from 07:00 (Mon–Sat 07:00–17:00).
  • Closes latest: Hanafusa, until 02:00 (Daily 08:00–02:00).
  • Most listed streets: 岡崎道 (2), Okazaki Enshojicho (2), Nanbacho (2).
  • Most common features: toilets (5%), takeaway (3%), open late (2%).

京都生ショコラオーガニックティーハウス

  • 75 岡崎道
  • Mon 12:00–18:00 · Wed–Sun 12:00–18:00
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Coffee chains in Okazaki & Nanzen-ji

Getting to Okazaki

Higashiyama Station on the Tōzai subway line serves the district; Lignum, a bakery café, is six minutes' walk from it.5 On weekends and holidays the EX100 sightseeing express leaves Kyoto Station and stops at Okazaki Kōen/Bijutsukan, Heian Jingū-mae after about 23 minutes, then goes on to Ginkakuji-mae; a ride costs ¥500.6

The canal, Nanzen-ji and the Philosopher's Path

Nanzen-ji was founded in 1291 by Emperor Kameyama on the site of his detached palace, and its Sanmon gate was rebuilt in 1628. The aqueduct through its grounds was built in 1890 to carry irrigation water from the canal.3 The canal itself became a national Historic Site in 1996, and passenger boats returned to it in 2018.1 After the 1895 exposition Heian Shrine was kept as a shrine to Emperor Kanmu, who founded Heian-kyō; Emperor Kōmei was added in 1940.2

The Philosopher's Path is named for the Kyoto University philosophers Nishida Kitarō and Hajime Tanabe, who are thought to have walked it daily. It runs beside a shallow channel of canal water between Nanzen-ji and Ginkaku-ji, under cherry trees, and takes about 30 minutes without stops; it opened in 1890 and was extended in 1912.4

Jazz, coffee and a tea house

Yamatoya, a jazz kissa (jazz café) east of the Kumano Jinja crossing, opened on 3 March 1970 and reopened after renovation on 1 March 2013. It is non-smoking and opens 12:00–22:00, last orders 21:30, closing on Wednesdays and Thursdays; soft drinks start at ¥700, and from 19:00 there is a ¥600 charge with alcohol.7

Nearby, Karafuneya Coffee's Kumano branch opens 07:00–21:15 every day, and Sunaba opens at 07:00, staying until 23:00 on Friday and Saturday. Near the south end of the Philosopher's Path, the Kyoto tea house of the confectioner Kanō Shōjuan opens 10:00–17:00 except Wednesday.

Bakery cafés and closing days

Lignum bakes its own bread and serves brunch, cold-pressed juice and coffee from 09:00, or 08:00 at weekends and on holidays; it has 26 seats, closes on Mondays and takes reservations.5 ETRA, on Reizei-dōri, also bakes and serves brunch, from 09:30 at weekends.

Several cafés here close early in the week: Hotori and Checa on Monday and Tuesday, Momiji on Monday. Deep Space Rhymin' opens every day, 10:30–21:00.

Sources

  1. Lake Biwa Canal, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Heian Shrine, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Nanzen-ji, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Philosopher's Walk, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Lignum, Lignum, accessed October 2026
  6. The Limited Express Bus from Kyoto Station to Gion, Heian-jingu Shrine and Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kyoto City Official Travel Guide, accessed October 2026
  7. jazz spot YAMATOYA, YAMATOYA, accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Okazaki & Nanzen-ji cafés: questions

When did the Yamatoya jazz kissa in Kyoto open?

Yamatoya opened on 3 March 1970 east of the Kumano Jinja crossing in Sakyō Ward, and reopened after renovation in 2013. It is non-smoking and opens 12:00–22:00, last orders 21:30, closing on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Soft drinks start at ¥700, and from 19:00 a ¥600 charge applies with alcohol.

How do you get to Okazaki and Heian Shrine in Kyoto?

Take the Tōzai subway line to Higashiyama Station; Lignum, a bakery café in Okazaki, is six minutes' walk from it. On weekends and holidays the EX100 sightseeing express runs from Kyoto Station to the Okazaki Kōen/Bijutsukan, Heian Jingū-mae stop in about 23 minutes, for ¥500 a ride.

How long is the Philosopher's Path walk in Kyoto?

The Philosopher's Path runs between Nanzen-ji and Ginkaku-ji beside a channel of Lake Biwa Canal water and takes about 30 minutes without stops. It is named for the Kyoto University philosophers Nishida Kitarō and Hajime Tanabe and is lined with cherry trees. It opened in 1890 and was extended in 1912.

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