What is the best time to visit Yasaka Shrine without crowds?

Early morning or late evening. By our estimate it stays at 40 or lower out of 100 before 10:00 every day, and in the evening it eases to that level from about 19:00–21:00 (23:00 on Fridays). The grounds are open 24 hours, so both are possible.

Is Yasaka Shrine crowded at night?

Less than in the afternoon. On most days the estimate falls through the evening and is 40 or lower from about 19:00–21:00. Friday evenings stay busier: the busiest hour of the whole week is Friday 18:00 (85), and it only drops to 40 or lower at 23:00. From midnight to 6:00 it stays at 18 or lower.

How busy is Yasaka Shrine on New Year?

Okera Mairi on New Year's Eve (from about 19:30 until about 5:00 on 1 January) and hatsumode on 1–3 January don't follow the everyday pattern, so we show no estimate. The everyday table on this page doesn't apply on those days.

Crowds

When is Yasaka Shrine least crowded?

Before 10:00 every day, and late in the evening. By our estimate it stays at 40 or lower out of 100 in those hours.

The rest of the day is busy from late morning. On most days the busiest hour is around 12:00–13:00. Fridays are different: the evening is the busiest time of the whole week, peaking at 18:00 (85).

Hour by hour, every day

Estimated level, 0–100 (100 = as busy as it gets). Darker = busier. Japan time.

Estimated crowd level at Yasaka Shrine by hour and day of the week
Hour	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
6:00	7	5	7	7	7	7	5
7:00	13	11	11	11	13	14	11
8:00	21	18	18	19	21	22	22
9:00	33	28	28	30	33	34	34
10:00	43	38	36	40	45	45	47
11:00	49	47	45	51	56	55	56
12:00	53	54	51	57	61	62	60
13:00	55	55	51	59	64	66	61
14:00	53	53	51	58	64	66	61
15:00	51	51	51	56	69	63	60
16:00	47	49	51	55	77	59	58
17:00	45	51	51	56	83	54	55
18:00	43	51	49	55	85	51	49
19:00	39	47	48	52	80	47	43
20:00	34	41	45	45	72	42	34
21:00	27	33	35	35	61	33	26
22:00	19	22	22	24	49	22	18
23:00	11	13	13	16	35	15	11

Midnight to 6:00 is left out: every day it stays at 18 or lower. Public holidays follow the Sunday column.

Level	Estimate
Quiet	0–20
Light	21–40
Moderate	41–60
Busy	61–80
Very busy	81–100

When does each evening get quieter?

The first hour from which the estimate stays at 40 or lower for the rest of the night, and the busiest hour of that day.

Day	40 or lower from	Busiest
Monday	19:00	13:00 (55)
Tuesday	21:00	13:00 (55)
Wednesday	21:00	12:00 (51)
Thursday	21:00	13:00 (59)
Friday	23:00	18:00 (85)
Saturday	21:00	13:00 (66)
Sunday	20:00	13:00 (61)

The grounds are open all night. If you want the shrine with fewer people, late evening is the easiest time (later on Fridays).

What changes after dark

Which days don't follow this pattern?

New Year: 31 Dec 19:00 to 4 Jan 00:00
Okera Mairi on New Year's Eve (from about 19:30 until about 5:00 on 1 January) and hatsumode on 1–3 January don't follow the everyday pattern, so we show no estimate.
Shrine's official schedule (Japanese)
Gion Matsuri: Shinkosai: 17 Jul 16:00 to 17 Jul 20:00
Gion Matsuri Shinkosai: the three mikoshi leave from about 16:00 and gather at the foot of the West Gate steps around 18:30. We show these hours as the maximum, 100.
Shrine's official schedule (Japanese)
Gion Matsuri: Kankosai: 24 Jul 21:00 to 25 Jul 00:00
Gion Matsuri Kankosai: the mikoshi return to the shrine between about 21:00 and 23:00. We show these hours as the maximum, 100.
Shrine's official schedule (Japanese)

Seasons are not in the table. It describes a usual week, so cherry blossom time in spring, autumn leaves and the rest of the Gion Matsuri month in July can be busier than shown. We don't adjust for weather either.

How is this estimated?

It is an estimate, not a count. We read the "Popular times" charts for Yasaka Shrine on Google Maps, hour by hour for each day of the week, and turned them into our own 0–100 values, with the busiest hour of a usual week (Friday 18:00) set to 85. We don't copy or show Google's charts. Table last updated 19 October 2026.

We also measured nine other places inside the grounds, such as the West Gate, the Dance Hall and the smaller shrines. Most of their charts changed shape from one day to the next, and all of them stayed well above the shrine's own level in the middle of the night. That points to too little data, or to people passing on the streets outside, so we don't use them.

Questions

What is the best time to visit Yasaka Shrine without crowds?: Early morning or late evening. By our estimate it stays at 40 or lower out of 100 before 10:00 every day, and in the evening it eases to that level from about 19:00–21:00 (23:00 on Fridays). The grounds are open 24 hours, so both are possible.
Is Yasaka Shrine crowded at night?: Less than in the afternoon. On most days the estimate falls through the evening and is 40 or lower from about 19:00–21:00. Friday evenings stay busier: the busiest hour of the whole week is Friday 18:00 (85), and it only drops to 40 or lower at 23:00. From midnight to 6:00 it stays at 18 or lower.
How busy is Yasaka Shrine on New Year?: Okera Mairi on New Year's Eve (from about 19:30 until about 5:00 on 1 January) and hatsumode on 1–3 January don't follow the everyday pattern, so we show no estimate. The everyday table on this page doesn't apply on those days.

Last updated: 19 October 2026