Gion / Kawara-machi

The Gion District with wooden lattice windows and Maiko dancers. Famous traditional stores and fashion shops.

Gion is one of the main districts of Kyoto, and for many people it is the Gion district that comes to mind when they think of Kyoto. The area developed as a town near the Yasaka-jinja Shrine, and is considered the most prestigious entertainment district in Japan. Wooden lattice windows made of thin wooden beams in a grid pattern create a lace effect that is in perfect harmony with the elegant maiko (apprentice geisha) dancers. The streets boast stores selling traditional Kyoto crafts, such as kanzashi or ornamental hairpins, incense and kimono accessories. The area is also home to Chinese and Italian restaurants, built inside traditional Japanese buildings. Gion is a friendly, lively district that preserves tradition as well as incorporating new trends and fashions.

Every summer the Gion-matsuri Festival attracts more than a million visitors. The festival is famous for its procession of magnificent festival floats on which musicians play Gion-bayashi festival music with Japanese flutes, bells and drums.


Across the Kamo-gawa River is Kawara-machi, the most popular entertainment district in Kyoto. Various stores line the street, from businesses that maintain centuries-old traditions, to top fashion shops. Kawara-machi is the main street of Kyoto. It is also the location of department stores, boutiques, movie theaters and several large bookstores.

From Tokyo Station, 2 hours 15 minutes by the JR Tokaido Shinkansen Line to Kyoto Station. From Osaka Station, 29 minutes by the JR Tokaido Honsen Line to Kyoto Station. From Kyoto Station, take a bus to Shijo-kawara-machi, 10 minutes, then walk five minutes to Gion.