Yamashina is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It lies in the southeastern part of the city, and Yamashina Station is one stop away from Kyoto Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line.
The area of Yamashina-ku is 28.70 km² and the population is 135,091 as of October 1, 2016.
It used to be a farming village located between Kyoto and Shiga, but Yamashina has now become a bedroom town for those commuting to urban area of Kyoto and Osaka because of its convenient location.
Historically, Yamashina was an important point for traffic connecting Kyoto and east part of Japan. In the Edo period, it flourished as a post town along the Tōkaidō road. There used to be many Kaido roads such as Nara Kaido, Shibutani Kaido, and Oiwa Kaido.