An Afternoon at Garden Museum Hiei in Kyoto, Japan
Meant to inspire nature and art lovers alike, Garden Museum Hiei atop Mount Hiei near Yase Village in Kyoto, Japan, overlooks stunning Lake Biwa. Filled with more than 100,000 flowers and reproductions of famous artists like Claude Monet, Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh, this darling outdoor garden museum is meant to feel like the French Countryside. Featuring a French café, landscapes inspired by famous works of art, and breathtaking blooms everywhere we looked, this was one of my favorite places we visited in the Kyoto area.
Garden Museum Hiei
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Address: Japan, 〒606-0000 Kyoto
Sakyo Ward, 修学院尺羅ヶ谷四明ヶ嶽4
Atop Mount Hiei (Accessible via Eizan Cable Rope Way)
Admission: ¥1,200 (around $7.60 per person)
Hours: Seasonal (Check here)
About Garden Museum Hiei
Inspired by French gardens, Garden Museum Hiei is home to more than 100,000 flowers from 1,500 different varieties planted across 4.2 acres of mountain top gardens. The garden has three distinct regions:
Fragrance Garden inspired by Provence, France
Water Lily Garden styled after Claude Monet’s paintings
Rose Garden featuring hundreds of different rose varieties from around the world
Each garden contains reproductions of famous impressionist painters like Claude Monet, Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh. It’s an outdoor garden without a greenhouse or glasshouse, so even though this was one of my favorite things we did in all of Japan, I wouldn’t recommend visiting after October when the last of the roses go to sleep as it will be mostly empty. We visited in September and it was splendid!
How to Reach Garden Museum Hiei from Kyoto
Mount Hiei’s summit is reachable via the Eizan Cable Car and then the Eizan Ropeway the rest of the way up. The cable car was very close to our hotel in Yase Village, outside of Kyoto, called Moksa. I’ll write more about Moksa Rebirth Hotel, but for now, Google Maps can take you there.
Pro-Tip: Buy the cable car & rope way combo ticket round trip. It’s the most convenient option. It’s good for one round-trip journey to the very top of the mountain where Garden Museum Hiei is located and it’s the most time effective option.
At the end of the cable car ride will be a small waiting area with vending machines, hiking paths, restrooms, a ticket counter, the Hieizan sign below, and more. There were many signs warning to watch out for bears, wild boars, monkeys, and more, but we didn’t see any around. From here, the rope way is only a short stroll away and arrived every thirty minutes. If you have time to spare, consider hiking a short distance into the mountains. It’s tranquil and the views are amazing.
It’s also possible to hike up Mount Hiei in good weather, but be advised it can take quite a few hours depending upon the route you take, your physical fitness, and how swiftly you move.
Why I Loved Visiting Garden Museum Hiei
Gardens and museums are two of my favorite things. Toss in incredible views, a cute café, no crowds, perfect weather, and the impromptu nature of our visit alongside the fact that the Kyoto region is my favorite, well, what’s not to love? Claude Monet is my favorite artist, and though I haven’t yet visited his home in Giverny, France, this made me feel like I had.
Signs were mostly in Japanese (it’s Japan, after all!) and that was a great way to practice reading Katakana and kanji. If you have any desire to learn flower and plant names in Japanese, this is a great spot to practice.
The incredible views of stunning Lake Biwa alone were worth the journey up.
Café Paris
This darling little café overlooks Lake Biwa and serves coffee, tea, and sweets. They have a rotating menu of seasonal specialties, and even had some gluten-free options like this trio of mini donuts we shared.
The entire garden museum is meant to evoke European charm without having to leave Kyoto. I think this is well-worth a stop. Plus, it’s not far from the overlook building and gift shop filled with botanically inspired presents.
Flowers
There were so many beautiful flowers in bloom. Here are some of my favorites, including a garden inspired by Claude Monet’s famous work Water Lillies.
Anemone Japonica
These are some of my favorite flowers, and they grew by the thousands around the garden. It was incredible to see so many in one place! They primarily came in various shades of pink and solid white.
Cosmos
These are one of my favorite autumnal flowers. Introduced to Japan in the 19th century, they’ve become emblematic of weather cooling across the nation. You’ll see them on everything from stationary and sweets to gift wrap and window gardens across the Kyoto region.
Dahlias
Few flowers draw as much attention as dahlias, and Garden Museum Hiei had thousands of dahlias growing. Most grew outside of the gift shop, pictured below.
Roses (Wild Dog Rose)
These were on their last legs in September, but there were still a few clinging and climbing to life.
Water Lilies
These were so impressively planted to resemble various Claude Money paintings. Of course, the paintings here were weather-resistant reproductions, but it was incredible to see some of my favorite works of art come to life.
Zinnias
These darling flowers grew in neat beds around the garden museum and I absolutely loved the firework-esque variations, like the ones shown below.
Paintings
Garden Museum Hiei blends art and gardening seamlessly, which is why there are so many paintings around the mountaintop garden. Mainly Claude Monet paintings, these beautiful works of art came alive in the carefully maintained gardens overlooking Lake Biwa and Kyoto.
Final Thoughts
I thought this was one of the most beautiful places we visited in all of Japan. The scenery, art, flowers, and café were all splendid. We didn’t even know this was atop Mount Hiei when we decided to go up for the day after a friend recommended it and I’m SO glad that we did! I didn’t want to leave, but that’s not surprising given how much I love gardens. If you’re in the Kyoto region during warm weather, absolutely give this a visit!
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