Gion

What to know

Gion (祇園) is Kyoto's most famous geisha district, stretching along Shijo Avenue between Yasaka Shrine to the east and the Kamo River to the west. The area is packed with shops, restaurants, and ochaya (teahouses) where geiko (the Kyoto term for geisha) and maiko (apprentice geiko) perform.

Gion draws visitors with its dense collection of traditional wooden machiya merchant houses. Because property taxes were once based on street frontage, these houses have narrow facades of just five to six meters but extend up to twenty meters inward from the street.

The most popular part of Gion is Hanami-koji Street, which runs from Shijo Avenue to Kenninji Temple. A delightful (and pricey) dining destination, the street and its side alleys are lined with preserved machiya houses, many now serving as restaurants offering Kyoto-style kaiseki ryori (Japanese haute cuisine) and other local and international dishes.

Scattered among the restaurants are numerous ochaya (teahouses)—exclusive and expensive dining spots where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko.

Another scenic area is the Shirakawa district, which follows the Shirakawa Canal parallel to Shijo Avenue. The canal is shaded by willow trees and bordered by upscale restaurants and ochaya, many with rooms overlooking the water. The Shirakawa area is generally quieter than Hanami-koji Street.

Many tourists visit Gion hoping to catch a glimpse of a geiko or maiko heading to or from an engagement at an ochaya in the evening or running errands during the day. If you do see one, please act respectfully. Complaints about tourists behaving like paparazzi have been common in recent decades.