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Shōi-ken
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Tea Room　／　Kyoto

Shōi-ken

しょういけん
A rustic teahouse at Katsura where a row of round windows melts into the pastoral view; by application.

Katsura Imperial Villa was built from around 1615 as a retreat of the Hachijō-no-miya princely house, shaped over some fifty years by Prince Toshihito and his son Prince Toshitada. Four teahouses are set around its stroll garden and pond. Shōi-ken is one of them; Agency records date it to the early Edo period, a single-storey wooden building roofed in thatch and shingle.

From its windows one looks out over farmland, and its details are memorable: door pulls on the fusuma and cedar doors are shaped like boat oars and arrows. Each building at Katsura had its own landing, and guests once moved between them by boat.

Today it can be seen from outside on the Imperial Household Agency's tour route, together with the other teahouses and the Shoin.

GalleryGallery

Exterior of Shōi-ken
Exterior of Shōi-kenWikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021
North side of Shōi-ken and its boat landing (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)
North side of Shōi-ken and its boat landing (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / 佐藤辰三
West side of Shōi-ken (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)
West side of Shōi-ken (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / 佐藤辰三
Ichi-no-ma (first room) of Shōi-ken (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)
Ichi-no-ma (first room) of Shōi-ken (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / 佐藤辰三
Shitaji-mado windows of the first room, seen from the deep eaves (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)
Shitaji-mado windows of the first room, seen from the deep eaves (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / 佐藤辰三
Tsugi-no-ma (next room) and hearth by the north wall (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)
Tsugi-no-ma (next room) and hearth by the north wall (archival photo by Satō Tatsuzō)Wikimedia Commons / Public domain / 佐藤辰三

How to experience itVisit & use

Visit through the Imperial Household Agency's tour system: apply online in advance, or get a timed same-day ticket on site from 8:40 a.m., first come, first served (photo ID required). The teahouses are seen from outside along the tour route.

Book / apply

Apply to visit Katsura Imperial Villa for Shōi-ken through the site's official page. Please check availability and conditions there.

Apply to visit Katsura Imperial Villa（official page） ↗

Visitor informationInformation

AddressKatsura Misono, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto (Katsura Imperial Villa)
ClosedMondays (the following day if Monday is a holiday), Dec 28–Jan 4, and days with official events
Admission¥1,000 for ages 18+ (free for junior high and high school students). Children below junior high age cannot visit
AccessAbout 20 min walk from Katsura Station (Hankyu Kyoto Line), or 15 min from the Katsura Rikyu-mae bus stop
InquiriesImperial Household Agency Kyoto Office, visitor desk: +81-75-211-1215
Sources (checked 2026年10月)
Photo: Katsura Imperial Villa — the site where this tea room stands, not the room itself. Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 / Joe Lin from New York, NY, USA
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