Nijo Castle Smoking Areas
Nijo Castle has several smoking areas right inside the grounds, plus a couple of free-to-use options nearby if you don’t have a ticket or the castle is closed.
6
Spots
mapped
¥1,300
Castle ticket
needed
¥1,000
Street smoking
fine
Several smoking spots inside the castle grounds — plus free options nearby
Kyoto City runs three designated smoking areas right inside Nijo Castle — the north side of the main rest area, the Seiryu-en Garden rest area and the West Bridge rest area (official source). Keep in mind they only open to visitors with a castle admission ticket, during opening hours, 8:45–17:00. Either way, there are also a couple of spots just outside the grounds that anyone can use — no ticket needed, including once the castle is closed.
Kyoto smoking rules
Smoking outside designated zones in Kyoto’s Enhanced Street Smoking Prevention Areas carries an on-the-spot fine of 1,000 JPY. Smoking while walking or cycling is banned across the city, and carrying a portable ashtray does not exempt you.
Read more about smoking fines in Japan →The spots
#1 · 254 m from Nijo Castle
Inside the grounds, past the restaurant
二条城 喫煙所
Through the ticket gate. Walk past the restaurant and turn right around the corner — a fenced-off area with a little roof, but nothing to sit on.
rated 4.6/5 (5)
Open in Google Maps#2 · 97 m from Nijo Castle
Rest house area, by the toilets
Next to the toilets in the rest house. Visitors report no shade over the ashtray itself, but there is a drinking fountain right beside it.
rated 4/5 (3)
Open in Google Maps#3 · 165 m from Nijo Castle
Castle rest area, west side
二条城休憩所
A covered ashtray at the rest area on the western side of the grounds, away from the main visitor route.
📍 京都府京都市中京区西ノ京式部町１
10 of 10 visitor reports found it open
Open in Google Maps#4 · 190 m from Nijo Castle
Grounds, main entrance side
二条城
An open ashtray point on the eastern side of the grounds, nearest the main entrance. No cover and nowhere to sit.
📍 京都府京都市中京区二条城町５４１
5 of 6 visitor reports found it open
Open in Google Maps#5 · 661 m from Nijo Castle
Ota Cigarette Shop
太田たばこ店
A tobacco shop about ten minutes’ walk south of the castle, with a small selection of cigarettes and an ashtray beside it where you can smoke. Easy to spot by the cigarette-ad posters on the storefront. Works without a castle ticket, and a good option once the castle shuts.
📍 京都府京都市中京区壬生馬場町１-７ 三条マンション
9 of 9 visitor reports found it open
Open in Google Maps#6 · 650 m from Nijo Castle
FamilyMart — Sanjo Omiya
ファミリーマート 三条大宮店
A convenience store just south of the castle with a smoking room for customers on the second floor. It’s polite to buy a drink or coffee before using it.
Spot data checked against community field reports in August 2026. Smoking areas move and close — if you find one gone, the Google Maps link will show recent photos.
← All Kyoto smoking spots