Festival & seasonal event in Kyoto
Maple Garden at the Historic Odoi Earthworks: Autumn Illumination at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine
Around 350 maple trees color the historic Odoi earthworks built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Illumination runs from sunset until 8:00 PM, with last admission at 7:40 PM. Admission includes a sweet inspired by the historic Kitano Grand Tea Gathering.
- Dates
- Nov 13 (Fri) – Dec 6 (Sun)
- Hours
- Sunset–8:00 PM (last admission 7:40 PM)
- Venue
- Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Odoi Maple Garden
- Nearest station
- Kitano-Hakubaicho
- Admission
- Adults (junior high school age and older) ¥1,500; children ¥700; preschool children free
About this event
Around 350 maple trees now grow beside Odoi, an earthwork built by the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kitano Tenmangu's maple garden is unusual because its autumn scenery is part of a historic defensive and flood-control structure. After sunset, illuminated trees line the Kamiyagawa River and surround the red arched Uguisubashi Bridge. A viewing platform at the Baikoken tea house offers another perspective. Although Kitano Tenmangu is best known as a shrine dedicated to the scholar Sugawara no Michizane, the garden also reveals Kyoto's urban history. A sweet associated with Hideyoshi's Kitano Grand Tea Gathering connects the visit to another chapter of the city's culture.
Highlights
- Walk beside the historic Odoi earthwork built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
- Admire around 350 maple trees along the Kamiyagawa River.
- Photograph the red Uguisubashi Bridge framed by autumn foliage.
- Enjoy the view from the platform at Baikoken tea house.
- Discover the connection to Hideyoshi's Kitano Grand Tea Gathering.
- Good for
- For travellers who enjoy autumn leaves, Japanese shrines, samurai history and tea culture.
Good to know before you go
- The illumination starts at sunset, so the exact starting time varies by day.
- Admission includes a sweet associated with Hideyoshi's Kitano Grand Tea Gathering.
Pochikichi's story cornerHow did Hideyoshi's earthwork become an autumn maple garden?
Kitano Tenmangu is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a scholar and statesman of Japan's Heian period. Revered as the deity of learning, he attracts worshippers from across the country. The shrine is famous for its plum blossoms, but its western grounds reveal another side of Kyoto's history.
Here stands a surviving section of Odoi, an earthen embankment constructed under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It marked the boundary between Kyoto's urban area and the surrounding countryside and also helped protect against flooding. Over time, native and planted maple trees grew along the earthwork, creating a garden with around 350 trees.
The Kamiyagawa River runs through the garden, crossed by the vermilion Uguisubashi Bridge. Viewing platforms, including one by the Baikoken tea house, offer different views of the trees and historic landscape. A sweet connected with Hideyoshi's famous Kitano tea gathering adds a reminder of Kyoto's tea culture.
There is also a more ancient connection between the shrine and autumn leaves. According to the shrine's official account, Michizane composed a poem about offering beautiful maple leaves to the gods during a visit to Tamukeyama Hachimangu in 898. The same garden thus brings together the scholar's love of autumn leaves and Hideyoshi's transformation of Kyoto. Look for the red Uguisubashi Bridge and the maple trees growing around the old Odoi earthwork.
Sources: Kitano Tenmangu Official Website: Historic Odoi Maple Garden (Japanese), Kyoto City Official Tourism Guide: Odoi Maple Garden Illumination (Japanese)
FAQ
- What is Maple Garden at the Historic Odoi Earthworks: Autumn Illumination at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine?
- Around 350 maple trees now grow beside Odoi, an earthwork built by the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kitano Tenmangu's maple garden is unusual because its autumn scenery is part of a historic defensive and flood-control structure. After sunset, illuminated trees line the Kamiyagawa River and surround the red arched Uguisubashi Bridge. A viewing platform at the Baikoken tea house offers another perspective. Although Kitano Tenmangu is best known as a shrine dedicated to the scholar Sugawara no Michizane, the garden also reveals Kyoto's urban history. A sweet associated with Hideyoshi's Kitano Grand Tea Gathering connects the visit to another chapter of the city's culture.
- When is Maple Garden at the Historic Odoi Earthworks: Autumn Illumination at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine?
- From Nov 13 (Fri) to Dec 6 (Sun), 2026.
- What are the opening hours?
- Sunset–8:00 PM (last admission 7:40 PM)
- How much does it cost?
- Adults (junior high school age and older) ¥1,500; children ¥700; preschool children free
- Where is it and what is the nearest station?
- Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, Odoi Maple Garden. The nearest station is Kitano-Hakubaicho.
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