Gion & Hanamikoji

花見小路通

Wooden teahouses on a stone lane at lantern time

⚠ No photos in side alleys

Hours

Public street, always open

Address

Gion-machi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, south of Shijo-dori

Turn south off Shijo-dori and two-storey wooden teahouses with red walls and lattice windows line the stone-paved street. By day it feels like a quiet shopping lane; once the eave lanterns come on at dusk the mood shifts. Now and then a geiko or maiko hurries past on the way to an appointment. Blocking her path or following with a camera is forbidden. Also walk the willow-lined canal on Shirakawa-Minami-dori to the north.