On June 5th, 2019, HEIAN JINGU SHRINE Restaurant & Banquet began offering their “Kyo Afternoon Tea” – an elegant afternoon tea with beautiful views of the shrine’s inner Shin-en Japanese garden. The extravagant banquet hall paired with the floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Japanese garden come together to create a luxurious and relaxing afternoon tea with aspects taken from both Japan and the west. The Kyo Afternoon Tea was started out of a desire to have “more people know the true value of the Shin-en Garden.” Designated as a national scenic spot, Heian Jingu Shrine's Shin-en Garden is a beautiful 33,000 m² Japanese garden designed by the famous Japanese landscaper Jihei Ogawa. With the beautiful greenery ceasing to wither year-round, every angle of the Shin-en Garden provides a beautiful painting-like scene. It was from the desire to have people be able to more freely enjoy the incredible world of the garden that the banquet hall's Kyoto × Western-style afternoon tea was born. The Kyo Afternoon Tea contains a line-up of both savory and sweet foods, each made with Kyoto grown ingredients and Japanese culinary techniques. The four dishes in the afternoon tea set - "饗(Kyo)" "縁(En)" "凛(Rin)" and "結(Yui)" - are of all course fabulous tasting and have an almost jewel-like beauty to them. If you find yourself visiting Heian Jingu Shrine, we highly recommend taking the time to enjoy this rare and special experience. *Price: ¥4,500 (Inc. tax and service fee)/per person