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Gion

Culture, tradition and geisha in Old Kyoto

About Gion
Traditional Gion, part 1 (Photo: Charles Colfer / JT)

Things to do in Gion

Upcoming Gion Events

Karuta Hajime Ceremony 2025

Karuta Hajime Ceremony 2025

Friday - Jan 3rd

At New Year in Japan's former capital of Kyoto, Karuta Hajime is an annual event where a popular traditional card game is played..

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Ebisu Festival in Kyoto 2025

Ebisu Festival in Kyoto 2025

Early - Mid Jan

Held at Yasaka Shrine in Japan's former capital Kyoto, the Ebisu Festival is Kyoto's first festival of the New Year, dedicated..

Free Entry

Kyoto Top 10

Where to eat in Gion

Gion Kappa

Gion Kappa

Joe Robinson

A loud and busy little restaurant, Gion Kappa is far from zen, but the food is far from average. Real care can be seen in the preparation..

Places to stay in Gion

Hotel SOWAKA

Hotel SOWAKA

Japan Travel

Enjoy a luxury getaway at Hotel SOWAKA, tucked away in Kyoto's Gion district just moments away from Yasaka Shrine.

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Latest Gion Reports

Fauchon Hotel

Fauchon Hotel

Caleb Cello

French gastronomic fashion brand Fauchon takes the limelight as it showcases its new hotel in Kyoto.

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Autumn in Kyoto

Autumn in Kyoto

Serena Ogawa

Ever wonder what the best time to visit Kyoto is? Wonder no more! Autumn is upon us and with it comes Kyoto's loveliest season...

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The Ryozens of Kyoto

The Ryozens of Kyoto

Arlene Bastion

The large statue of Ryozen Kannon looms over moving war memorials, and graves at Ryozen Gokoku hold war dead and those who died..

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About Gion

Shijo Dori is filled with restaurants, souvenir shops, clothing stores and anything a shopping complex could hope to have. More importantly, following this road directly east will bring you to the large cluster of temples, shrines and top destinations that everyone goes to Kyoto for. I would suggest walking the streets because you can see more of the city and will become more familiar with your surroundings, but a short bus ride is also cheap and easy.

Walk far enough and you’ll enter the outskirts of Kyoto’s Gion District, an entire neighborhood with wonderfully preserved buildings and a traditional feel that will warp you back in time. For anyone interested in photography, this is an absolutely fantastic place for shooting, I know I had fun while taking these photos. Here, much like Ishibe Alley, you can see many vacationers dressed up in Yukata or Kimono, enjoying a summer's day with food and drinks, walking through temples or just enjoying the atmosphere. If it weren’t for a few cars or workmen uploading supplies from trucks, you would think you had just stepped into a time machine. Everyone says things like this, but it is true. The streets are defined by the classic all wooden buildings, tea houses and exclusively Japanese restaurants. It is easy to lose a few hours while visiting here. The area was originally made for servicing weary visitors of Yasaka Shrine and by the mid-18th century, had become Kyoto’s largest pleasure district.

Within this area, as well as a few minutes walk outside of it, you really begin to enter the mass of temples and shrines, all of which hold significant history and cultural value and are truly astounding to see up close and in person. All are within reasonable walking distance, but the closest are Yasaka Shrine (one of the most important shrines in Japan), Kennin-ji Temple (the temple that truly founded Zen Buddhism in Japan), Chorakuji Temple (a historical temple hidden in pine and bamboo) and Kodai-ji Temple (a famous sub-temple of Kennin-ji).

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