Kyoto has many beautiful traditional gardens that aren’t known to many international tourists, and the garden in Yawata City Shōkadō Garden Art Museum (松花堂庭園) is one of them. Yawata City has long been known as a bamboo production area. Thus, the garden has bamboo groves that are stunning throughout the year. Moreover, the vast garden has three tea rooms named after pine, bamboo, and plum. In addition, the camellias of various varieties bloom gorgeously from autumn to spring. Once you are there, it won’t be hard to understand why Shōkadō Garden is a designated National Place of Scenery Beauty.
Table of Contents
- About Yawata City Shōkadō Garden Art Museum
- The Three Teahouses in Shōkadō Garden
- Shōkadō Garden and Shōkadō Bento Box
- Yawata City Shōkadō Garden Art Museum’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
About Yawata City Shōkadō Garden Art Museum
The facility is related to Shōkadō Shōjō (松花堂昭乗). He was a monk belonging to Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine (石清水八幡宮) in the early Edo period. He is also a famous painter, a calligrapher, and a master of the tea ceremony. Many of his artworks are in the art museum’s exhibition space.
Shōkadō Garden is a vast water strolling garden where you can adore over 300 camellias and plums in early spring. The cherry blossom and green maples take over the show from late March. The vivid colors in autumn also attract visitors to the stunning garden.
Furthermore, what differentiate from other gardens is the bamboo. Around 40 different types of bamboos color Shōkadō Garden the ground when the surrounding is covered by white snow.
The 22,000 square meter ground is divided into three areas: the museum, the outer, and the inner. The thatched hut in the inner garden is called Shōkadō. It was Shōjō’s residence built in 1637 and served as a Buddhist temple, a tea room, and symbolizes Shōjō’s spirit toward the tea ceremony.
The hut was originally in Kyoto‘s Mt. Otoko (男山) and was relocated to its correct location in 1900.
Important: The inner garden is closed for restoration work at the moment.
The Three Teahouses in Shōkadō Garden
The three teahouses are located in the outer garden. The one that is surrounded by plums and named after the flower is called Baiin (梅隠).
The teahouse was relocated from the residence of Sen Rikyu’s grandson (千利休), Sen no Sōtan (千宗旦). He was the 3rd head of the Japanese tea school. The teahouse is rather ordinary because of Sōtan’s monastic and simple lifestyle. But because it is a teahouse that demonstrates Sōtan’s tea style, it is as valuable as other Urasenke Tea School’s top tea houses, such as Yūin (又隠) and Konnichi-an (今日庵).
The plum blossoms at Shōkadō Garden usually bloom from late February to early March.
Tip: Remember to pour some water into the earthen jar (水琴窟) and enjoy its clear sound.
The tearoom in the teahouse, Shōin (松隠), was designed using Shōjō’s tearoom as a model. It is where tea ceremonies are held on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 10 am to 3 pm (excluding January, August, and October). The cost of 1,000 yen includes a bowl of matcha tea and a seasonal traditional sweet.
The teahouse Chikuin (竹隠) in the Instagram post on the right is a new teahouse with rare Japanese-style architectural features that are worthwhile to check out. It is also another tea ceremony venue. You can refer to the photos in the Instagram post taken during the tea ceremony session.
- The tea ceremony sessions at Chikuin are held on a Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm from March to May, October, and November.
- Refer to HERE for the date of the next tea ceremony held at Chikuin.
- The cost of 700 yen includes a bowl of matcha tea and a seasonal traditional sweet.
Shōkadō Garden and Shōkadō Bento Box
If you have heard of the bento style Shōkadō, you might wonder if the style is related to Shōkadō Garden. The answer is yes!
Shōkadō Bento is a bento box style that divides the box into four even portions. Farmers used the crossed-shaped box to hold different seeds. Instead of seeds, Shōjō put his cigarette and his paint and brushes.
In the early 20th century, the founder of the Japanese restaurant Kicchō (吉兆) started using it to serve food. The restaurant has a branch in Shōkadō Garden. So, if you are interested in Shōkadō Bento, stop by Kyōto Kitchō shōkadō Store (京都吉兆 松花堂店) during your visit. It is a spot to enjoy the taste of Kyoto while adoring the bamboo forest.
Yawata City Shōkadō Garden Art Museum’s Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Access Information
- Yawata City Shōkadō Garden Art Museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm from Tuesday to Sunday.
- The last admission is at 4:30 pm.
- The facility is also closed from the 27th of December to the 4th of January.
- The admission fee for the garden is
- 300 yen for adults
- 220 yen for students
- 150 yen for children
- The admission fee for the museum starts from 400 yen.
- From Keihan’s Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Station (石清水八幡宮駅), take a bus and get off at Ōshiba Shōkadō-mae (大芝・松花堂前).
- Use one of Japan’s Transport App to plan your visit.
Tip: Ypu can rent a bicycle from the rental shop in front of Keihan’s Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Station (石清水八幡宮駅).
Discover Other Plum Blossom Spots in Kyoto
Regardless the overtourism problem, Kyoto is undoubtably Japan’s most popular tourist destination. If you plan to visit Kyoto in early spring, there are several spots for you to add to your itinerary to enjoy the seasonal flower, plum blossoms! While the view created by the plum flowers may be less awe-inspiring than the cherry blossoms due to the volumes, the elegant fragrance will make your visit more pleasant.
For more information, refer to our article on The Plum Blossom Spots in Kyoto!
