Kyoto Gion and Geisha District Walking Tour with Yasaka Shrine and Hanamikoji Street
by Traveling Kyoto
Choose from 1 available option
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.¥3,000Overview
This two-hour walking tour in Kyoto focuses on the Gion district and its geisha culture. The group moves at a calm pace through narrow stone-paved streets lined with preserved wooden teahouses and traditional townhouses. An English-speaking guide explains the local history, including details about geiko and maiko, samurai stories, and tea culture. The route includes stops at Yasaka Shrine, known for its bright vermilion gate and connection to the Gion Matsuri festival, and Maruyama Park, Kyoto’s oldest public park, recognized for its cherry trees. The tour continues through Nene-no-Michi lane, which features historic architecture and shops, followed by the stone-paved Sannenzaka Ninenzaka slopes with artisan boutiques. Visitors also see Yasui-Konpiragu Shrine, famous for its “Power Stone” arch, and finish on Hanamikoji Street, the main street of Gion with wooden machiya houses and teahouses where geiko and maiko may be seen. The tour includes admission to Gion and Hanamikoji Street.
Highlights
What's included
What's not included
Itinerary
Yasaka Shrine
Yasaka Shrine is a historic Shinto site located between Gion and Higashiyama. It features a bright vermilion gate and paths lit by lanterns. The shrine is the starting point of the annual Gion Matsuri festival, an important cultural event in Kyoto.
20 min
Maruyama Park
Maruyama Park is Kyoto’s oldest public park, known for its seasonal changes and distinctive weeping cherry trees. It is located near Yasaka Shrine and offers a quiet space with large, mature trees.
10 min
Nene-no-Michi
Nene-no-Michi is a lane named after the wife of samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The street is lined with traditional buildings, small shops, and teahouses that reflect Kyoto’s historic Higashiyama area.
10 min
Sannenzaka Ninenzaka
The Sannenzaka Ninenzaka area includes stone-paved slopes bordered by old wooden buildings and artisan shops. This path is a well-preserved part of old Kyoto, often visited by photographers and cultural visitors.
15 min
Yasui-Konpiragu
Yasui-Konpiragu Shrine is known for its ‘Power Stone’ archway. Visitors crawl through the arch to pray for strong relationships or to break ties with the past. It is a quiet site with symbolic significance in the Higashiyama district.
10 min
Hanamikoji Street
Hanamikoji Street is the main street in Kyoto’s Gion district, lined with wooden machiya townhouses and traditional teahouses. The area is known for its preserved architecture and lantern-lit evenings, where geiko and maiko can sometimes be seen.
15 min
Meeting point
We will meet in front of Starbucks located next to Kyoto Gion Hotel. Walking distance from Yasaka Shrine (Western Tower Gate) entrance.
End point
We will meet in front of Starbucks located next to Kyoto Gion Hotel. Walking distance from Yasaka Shrine (Western Tower Gate) entrance.
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.
Additional info
Kyoto Gion and Geisha District Walking Tour with Yasaka Shrine and Hanamikoji Street
by Traveling Kyoto
Choose from 1 available option
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.¥3,000Overview
This two-hour walking tour in Kyoto focuses on the Gion district and its geisha culture. The group moves at a calm pace through narrow stone-paved streets lined with preserved wooden teahouses and traditional townhouses. An English-speaking guide explains the local history, including details about geiko and maiko, samurai stories, and tea culture. The route includes stops at Yasaka Shrine, known for its bright vermilion gate and connection to the Gion Matsuri festival, and Maruyama Park, Kyoto’s oldest public park, recognized for its cherry trees. The tour continues through Nene-no-Michi lane, which features historic architecture and shops, followed by the stone-paved Sannenzaka Ninenzaka slopes with artisan boutiques. Visitors also see Yasui-Konpiragu Shrine, famous for its “Power Stone” arch, and finish on Hanamikoji Street, the main street of Gion with wooden machiya houses and teahouses where geiko and maiko may be seen. The tour includes admission to Gion and Hanamikoji Street.
Highlights
What's included
What's not included
Itinerary
Yasaka Shrine
Yasaka Shrine is a historic Shinto site located between Gion and Higashiyama. It features a bright vermilion gate and paths lit by lanterns. The shrine is the starting point of the annual Gion Matsuri festival, an important cultural event in Kyoto.
20 min
Maruyama Park
Maruyama Park is Kyoto’s oldest public park, known for its seasonal changes and distinctive weeping cherry trees. It is located near Yasaka Shrine and offers a quiet space with large, mature trees.
10 min
Nene-no-Michi
Nene-no-Michi is a lane named after the wife of samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The street is lined with traditional buildings, small shops, and teahouses that reflect Kyoto’s historic Higashiyama area.
10 min
Sannenzaka Ninenzaka
The Sannenzaka Ninenzaka area includes stone-paved slopes bordered by old wooden buildings and artisan shops. This path is a well-preserved part of old Kyoto, often visited by photographers and cultural visitors.
15 min
Yasui-Konpiragu
Yasui-Konpiragu Shrine is known for its ‘Power Stone’ archway. Visitors crawl through the arch to pray for strong relationships or to break ties with the past. It is a quiet site with symbolic significance in the Higashiyama district.
10 min
Hanamikoji Street
Hanamikoji Street is the main street in Kyoto’s Gion district, lined with wooden machiya townhouses and traditional teahouses. The area is known for its preserved architecture and lantern-lit evenings, where geiko and maiko can sometimes be seen.
15 min
Meeting point
We will meet in front of Starbucks located next to Kyoto Gion Hotel. Walking distance from Yasaka Shrine (Western Tower Gate) entrance.
End point
We will meet in front of Starbucks located next to Kyoto Gion Hotel. Walking distance from Yasaka Shrine (Western Tower Gate) entrance.
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.