Gion

Let me play my pedal steel guitar while I sing one of my all-​time favorites about a little porcelain doll I left back in the motherland…
«Have you ever heard a love song that you didn’t understand?
Where you met her in a teahouse on the island of Jay-​pan
And have you ever traveled over many thousand miles
To see a pretty geisha girl dressed in Oriental style»
Oriental style? Sheesh, that’s a real country song by someone named Hank Locklin. You can hear it on YouTube. Yeah, it’s awful, but that was recorded way back when red-​blooded American males had images of Japanese women as exotic, inscrutable and subservient. Obviously they never met my mother. However, if you’re lucky, you may spot a geisha or a maiko (an apprentice geisha) clip-​clopping down the cobblestone alleys on their geta. Gion is where they reside in old wooden machiya buildings amid the teahouses and exclusive Japanese restaurants. Like most tourists, Jamie W. and I walked down from Kiyomizu-​dera through the Higashiyama shopping area.
Minutes later, we found ourselves at Yasaka Shrine, the popular entry point for Gion (photo:
). Once we immersed ourselves into the district, we came upon Shirakawa Canal where wedding portraits are frequently taken given how photogenic the setting is with the babbling brook, the weeping willow trees and the frenzy of cherry blossoms in the spring (photo:
). Hanamikoji dori is the main thoroughfare where the most expensive kaiseki ryori restaurants are, It was here we caught a maiko scurrying to a cab with her dresser… or was it her mother? (photo:
). At the end of the street is Gion Corner where you can see geisha perform nightly along with a lot of traditional Japanese arts (photo:
). And just remember…
«They read it in the tea leaves and it’s written in the sand
I found love by the heart full in a foreign distant land
Tell the home folks that I’m happy with someone that’s true I know
I love a pretty geisha girl where the ocean breezes blow.»

If you wanna see many typical images of Kyoto for real, this is the spot. Also there are many shops and restaurants who have a rule of ichigensanokotowari: refuse first-​time customers, saying that customers without introduction from somebody are not allowed to enter their facilities. You gotta hang out with local people!
I wanna try the maikosan: an apprentice geiko (not exactly same as geisha) kimono dress up and take fabulous pictures;)

The area of Gion comes up as a top attraction in Kyoto and when you wander through you can definitely see why.
There is no one thing that sets it apart it is a mix of several things in one area. You can see impressive shrines, huge pagodas, winding alleys of small streets with lots old style Japanese houses. If your very lucky you might even see a geisha girl wandering the street. This is seemingly one of the few areas that this is still possible.
As well as the old there is plenty of new as well. Cool tea and coffee shops, restaurants with queues into the street and souvenir shops. If your in Kyoto you will certainly be missing out if you don’t take a wander around Gion.

Gion District is definitely one of the must-​visit areas for all Kyoto tourists of all tastes! This is where you can experience both the traditional and modern Japan on the same street and fulfill your sightseeing, dining, or shopping needs!
Although Gion is famous for its geisha, anyone can enjoy this historic district without having to splurge on hiring a geisha. The whole district is full of both traditional and modern shops and restaurants of various types. Gion is a great place to grab a meal, do some shopping, or simply stroll around.
While the Shijo Dori road immediately in front of Yasaka Shrine is modernized, the off-​branch Hanamikoji Dori street provides a nice look of the traditional street. Sadly while it’s more beautiful to see the dimly-​lit Hanamikoji at nighttime, there isn’t much to see in this historic street and it was nearly deserted already at 8 PM. However, Shijo Dori remains bustling even at late night, so go check out the smaller historic street near sunset and stroll around and indulge in food or shopping on the well-​lit Shijo Dori at nighttime!

We were fortunate enough to see 3 Geishas when we visited the Gion District during our 2 days in the Kyoto area of Japan. Perhaps it’s the timing in which we went to Gion (around dusk), which meant more geishas were getting ready to attend social functions in the evening, around dinner.
It was fascinating to see them, and then hear about the geisha history /​context in current day Japan. Brings me back to some of the text I read in «Memoirs of a Geisha» book. :)
You’ll also find some great souvenir shops, and pastry /​ice cream shops in the area. In fact, I bought a tofu ice cream and the famous matcha green tea ice cream while browsing the shops in Gion!
More photos here:

Gion is the area known for people/​tourists to see geishas or meiko. It’s very touristy on the main road but once you go into Gion, there’s a lot of small alleyways with traditional stores.
Stores at Gion are pricey and it will cost you quite a bit if you intend to grab dinner and watch a meiko perform for you. Definitely worth a visit but I won’t guarantee you’ll see a geisha walking around.

You must go to Gion when in Kyoto. I recommend eating a traditional meal on the Main Street while here too. It’s rather touristy but still worth seeing, especially if you want to see a Geisha. I saw 2 on the Main Street after walking around for only 20 minutes.

Love this part of Kyoto, though it is somewhat touristy.
Gion has lots of small alleys and roads lined with malls, traditional shops, and even small restaurants known only to locals.
The restaurants can be pretty pricey, and not many cater to a foreign crowd. You might also catch a geisha or maiko out on the streets.
Definitely worth visiting!

A beautiful blend of tradition and modernity
We walked through the traditional part of Gion (wooden homes/​restaurants) after dinner one night and came back the next day to check out the shopping on the main street. If you want to experience a «geisha sighting», we were told to wander around Gion street around 5.00p or 5.30p. Around this time, you could see a geisha on her way out for an appointment. The «old town» is a great place to just people-​watch.
Gion is also a great place to start a self-​guided walking tour that leads through Yasaka shrine, towarks Kodaiji temple, through Sannenzaka Ninenzaka shopping alleys, and ending at Kiyomizudera temple. It’s a wonderful way to explore Kyoto on foot.

This is my favorite part of Kyoto, in fact, it made Kyoto one of my favorite cities to visit in Japan. You can find maikos and geishas here but they’re very hard to spot since they’re always scurrying along.
I love how the buildings here are kept in an older design which gives it character and lots of history. In fact, the entire time I was here, I thought Memoirs of a Geisha since it was filmed here.
I love that they keep this area traditional, it made my trip to Japan feel complete.

If Tokyo is similar to New York than Kyoto is similar to San Francisco or Boston.
Kyoto is a smaller much easier place to walk and see some amazing sights.
I really loved the Gion District. This is an area steeped in 400 years of tradition with lovely alleys, traditional Japanese homes, Temples, and not the least the Lovely Geisha.
Yes it is very touristy but at least it retains a lovely charming atmosphere and the shops and restaurants are great to peak into.
No McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks, ESPN or that lovely stamped Americano stuff… Just good ol Japanese goods and food.
Definitely a place you want to visit when you come to Kyoto.

The Gion district of Kyoto, Japan is a small area rich in history. However, it is now almost as touristy as Epcot’s World Showcase.
Japan has still maintained some of the same practices and culture from years past. Basically, walking the streets of Gion will almost feel the same as walking those same streets before any bombings took place, due to rebuilding and maintaining tradition.
The main paved street is filled with restaurant and department stores chains, as well as tons of overpriced souvenir shops. But, walk deeper inside of Gion and along the back alleys and you can have a different experience entirely. I was there at night, and could hear the geisha inside the restaurants and bars laughing and entertaining clients.
Along the main cobblestone roads, you will have to dodge taxis driving rich tourists and geisha (separately) to their destinations. By rich tourists, I am referring to a wild pack of annoying and culturally profound Bonakers and Boston Brahmins that were drunk on expensive wine. There are also many overpriced, but locally owned, Americanized steakhouses along this road. To be honest, there is better food had along the west side of the river or even at the train station.
There are large shrines at both ends of Gion, as well as the main geisha/​maiko performance hall in the middle. During the day, you will find actresses dressed like and pretending to be geisha for tourists to take photos.
Staying at a hotel in the Gion district of Kyoto, Japan is not affordable. So we stayed across town in a cheap guesthouse, hopped on the #12 bus to get here. The #12 bus will take you all over Kyoto on a tour, but that is for another review.