Japan Travel: Scenic Streets of Gion and a Sake Bar

April 19, 2016 by 6 Comments

When I travel to other countries, one of my fun activities I like to do is wander in neighborhoods, just observing the atmosphere and the differences in the buildings, the streets, in the people passing through the streets with me, peering into restaurants and stores (browsing is free, it’s the shopping that gets you!). The Gion area in Kyoto is an area famous for its historic wooden buildings and neighborhoods from the Edo period (1603–1867), so the scenic streets of Gion are a great place to walk around

Gion is also a famous entertainment districts that is full of teahouses and restaurants and bars, traditional performing arts, and is one of a few places you may see a geisha. In the morning, these old fashioned streets of Gion are quiet and are the best time to take photos that capture the wood. Then as it gets later in the day and the dining destinations get open for the evening, the lanterns get lit, and it gets very busy with people hoping to glimpse a geisha on her way to an evening appointment.

Hanamikoji Dori

What we are looking for is Hanamikoji Dori, the second the street on the right side if you are facing east walking away from the river on Shijo Dori.  It’s a street with lovely wooden machiya merchant houses:

Sign on Hanami-koji Street in Gion Walking the streets of Gion in Kyoto during the day - Hanamikoji Dori, the geisha district of on Hanamikoji Street Walking the streets of Gion in Kyoto during the day - Hanamikoji Dori, the geisha district of on Hanamikoji Street Walking the streets of Gion in Kyoto during the day - Hanamikoji Dori, the geisha district of on Hanamikoji Street Walking the streets of Gion in Kyoto during the day - Hanamikoji Dori, the geisha district of on Hanamikoji Street Walking the streets of Gion in Kyoto during the day - Hanamikoji Dori, the geisha district of on Hanamikoji Street Walking the streets of Gion in Kyoto during the day - Hanamikoji Dori, the geisha district of on Hanamikoji Street Walking the streets of Gion in Kyoto during the day - Hanamikoji Dori, the geisha district of on Hanamikoji Street

Don’t be fooled at how traditional and quiet this is because as soon as it’s evening… this was much later after the dinner hour so not as bad as when the streets were literally filled with cars and people trying to make way for each other (there aren’t any marked sidewalks) on their way to dinner. Notice all the lit red lanterns.
"Gion Gion at Night - this is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Interspersed among the restaurants are a number of ochaya (teahouses), the most exclusive and expensive of Kyoto's dining establishments, where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko: this street specifically is Hanami-koji Street Gion at Night - this is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Interspersed among the restaurants are a number of ochaya (teahouses), the most exclusive and expensive of Kyoto's dining establishments, where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko: this street specifically is Hanami-koji Street Gion at Night - this is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Interspersed among the restaurants are a number of ochaya (teahouses), the most exclusive and expensive of Kyoto's dining establishments, where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko: this street specifically is Hanami-koji Street Gion at Night - this is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Interspersed among the restaurants are a number of ochaya (teahouses), the most exclusive and expensive of Kyoto's dining establishments, where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko: this street specifically is Hanami-koji Street Gion at Night - this is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Interspersed among the restaurants are a number of ochaya (teahouses), the most exclusive and expensive of Kyoto's dining establishments, where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko: this street specifically is Hanami-koji Street Gion at Night - this is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Interspersed among the restaurants are a number of ochaya (teahouses), the most exclusive and expensive of Kyoto's dining establishments, where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko: this street specifically is Hanami-koji Street Gion at Night - this is Kyoto's most famous geisha district. Interspersed among the restaurants are a number of ochaya (teahouses), the most exclusive and expensive of Kyoto's dining establishments, where guests are entertained by maiko and geiko: this street specifically is Hanami-koji Street

Shirakawa Area

Go back across Shijo Dori and head 3 blocks north, turning left on Shinbashi Dori. Here in the Shirakawa Area – follow the street just along the small river here – there’s a interesting juxtaposition of the old fashioned wooden machiya houses here and the modern urban street poles and wires.
More walking around towards another scenic part of Gion, the Shirakawa Area - there More walking around towards another scenic part of Gion, the Shirakawa Area - there's a interesting juxtaposition of the old fashioned preserved machiya houses here and the modern urban street poles and wires More walking around towards another scenic part of Gion, the Shirakawa Area - there's a interesting juxtaposition of the old fashioned preserved machiya houses here and the modern urban street poles and wires More walking around towards another scenic part of Gion, the Shirakawa Area - there's a interesting juxtaposition of the old fashioned preserved machiya houses here and the modern urban street poles and wires

The canal is lined by willow trees, high class restaurants and ochaya, many of which have rooms overlooking the canal. It’s interesting here because we can look into the room like it’s an exhibit as people enjoy dinners in private rooms with complete and no privacy.
Another scenic part of Gion is the Shirakawa Area which runs along the Shirakawa Canal parallel to Shijo Avenue. The canal is lined by willow trees, high class restaurants and ochaya, many of which have rooms overlooking the canal. It's interesting here because we can look into the room like it's an exhibit...

Now here’s a look when we walked by in the morning. Lonely Planet opines is “one of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets and, arguably, the most beautiful street in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry-blossom season.” It’s December so we’ll just have to imagine the cherry blossoms
Walking in Gion during the day - this is is Shimbashi (sometimes called Shirakawa Minami-dōri), which Lonely Planet opines is 'one of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets and, arguably, the most beautiful street in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry-blossom season.' Of course now, the cherry blossom trees are completely empty branches Walking in Gion during the day - this is is Shimbashi (sometimes called Shirakawa Minami-dōri), which Lonely Planet opines is 'one of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets and, arguably, the most beautiful street in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry-blossom season.' Of course now, the cherry blossom trees are completely empty branches Walking in Gion during the day - this is is Shimbashi (sometimes called Shirakawa Minami-dōri), which Lonely Planet opines is 'one of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets and, arguably, the most beautiful street in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry-blossom season.' Of course now, the cherry blossom trees are completely empty branches Walking in Gion during the day - this is is Shimbashi (sometimes called Shirakawa Minami-dōri), which Lonely Planet opines is 'one of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets and, arguably, the most beautiful street in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry-blossom season.' Of course now, the cherry blossom trees are completely empty branches Walking in Gion during the day - this is is Shimbashi (sometimes called Shirakawa Minami-dōri), which Lonely Planet opines is 'one of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets and, arguably, the most beautiful street in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry-blossom season.' Of course now, the cherry blossom trees are completely empty branches Walking in Gion during the day - this is is Shimbashi (sometimes called Shirakawa Minami-dōri), which Lonely Planet opines is 'one of Kyoto’s most beautiful streets and, arguably, the most beautiful street in all of Asia, especially in the evening and during cherry-blossom season.' Of course now, the cherry blossom trees are completely empty branches

Ishibei-koji Lane

My vote for most scenic street that is like a step back in time is the short walk along  Ishibei-koji Lane, located just by Kodaji Temple that I had covered previously. At only 200 meters it’s short and more like an alley than a street, but Lonely Planet also dubs this too “perhaps the most beautiful street in Kyoto” and Inside Kyoto called Kyoto’s most atmospheric pedestrian-only walkway. There is no sign for this, so prepare to orient yourself using GPS.
In the morning, these old fashioned streets in Gion, Kyoto are quiet. We are walking along Ishibei-koji Lane, what Inside Kyoto called Kyoto’s most atmospheric pedestrian-only walkway and Lonely Planet calls 'perhaps the most beautiful street in Kyoto' In the morning, these old fashioned streets in Gion, Kyoto are quiet. We are walking along Ishibei-koji Lane, what Inside Kyoto called Kyoto’s most atmospheric pedestrian-only walkway and Lonely Planet calls 'perhaps the most beautiful street in Kyoto' In the morning, these old fashioned streets in Gion, Kyoto are quiet. We are walking along Ishibei-koji Lane, what Inside Kyoto called Kyoto’s most atmospheric pedestrian-only walkway and Lonely Planet calls 'perhaps the most beautiful street in Kyoto' In the morning, these old fashioned streets in Gion, Kyoto are quiet. We are walking along Ishibei-koji Lane, what Inside Kyoto called Kyoto’s most atmospheric pedestrian-only walkway and Lonely Planet calls 'perhaps the most beautiful street in Kyoto'

These wooden machiya townhouses are rapidly disappearing from Kyoto, having had the good fortune to survive World War II (new machiya are prohibited from being built now, leaving only restoration) but now the difficult and expensive maintainace means many are being demolished in favor of modern buildings. I highly recommend when in Kyoto taking a walk in at least one of the above streets to get a feel of being a pedestrian in Kyoto a hundred or do years ago. For a more in depth experience, Iori, a company founded by a traditional culture advocate, rents multiple machiya for guests to stay.

Jam Hostel’s Sake Bar

Not far from the Shirakawa area and Gion – Shijo station is this recommended bar from the owner of Beer Komachi – Jam Hostel’s Sake Bar. This is why I love asking local industry people their recommendations: its location in a hostel meant I probably would have overlooked it. But she sent us to this location reassuring it was well worth it for us even if it also serving as a hostel was unusual. Boy was she right. The menu was probably a dozen pages long full of sake options to order individually, as well as offering flights and it could be served cold or hot. There were flights that were dedicated to being local to Kyoto as well as a few other prefectures including the owner’s home region of Niigata.

. Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sakeJam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake

This was my very favorite sake of the night, and pretty much ever – Kaisyun / Shimane Kimoto and wooden barrel aged sake. The owner tried to warn us that it was very strong, but we convinced him we were up to the task. I was pretty surprised when it poured so dark and thick, almost like a balsamic vinegar – but it was so full of thick flavors that swirled and changed on the tongue that I was in love.
Jam Hostel's Sake Bar has an extensive selection of sake, and you can purchase flights or get small pours of a wide variety of sake. This was my very favorite sake of the night, and pretty much ever - Kaisyun / Shimane Kimoto and wooden barrel aged sake

I have no idea where or how to get this type of sake here in Portland. But, if you are interested in sampling sake, there is in June the annual Sake Fest that you might want to consider where you can taste sake for hours and learn!

These stops in today’s post could be done together in a circle. We actually stayed at an Air BnB close by which I picked specifically to near Gion because I wanted to be in easy walking distance to great food and drink, so it was easy to visit all these locations by night and day. It’s my usual modus operandi when picking a place to stay: map out the things I want to eat and drink and stay nearby the food!

If you are going to do a walking tour and not staying in the area, you will probably arrive via Keihan Main line at Gion – Shijo Station and you should proceed first with Hanamikoji Dori, then Ishibei Koji, then circle back to the Shirakawa Area and finish at the Sake Bar – and you could combine this once you get towards Ishibei Koji with some of the Kyoto Temples and Shrines I wrote about earlier as they are nearby.

Alternatively if you are on the east side towards Yasaka Shine, go to Ishibei Koji first, then walk west towards the river to Hanamikoji Dori and the Shirakawa area then the Sake Bar to finish at the Gion – Shijo station is just to the east side of the river.

Do you have a favorite walking neighborhood from your travels, where is it? How crazy is that sign about not harassing the geishas at the beginning of this post?

This concludes my Travel Tuesday posts about Kyoto – we only stayed in the city for 3 days. So next we’ll shift from historical to modern as we go to Osaka next week!

Here’s a summary of my Japan Travel post series:

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Japan Travel: Kyoto Famous Sights

April 12, 2016 by 7 Comments

We only spent 3 days in Kyoto, but I scheduled a lot of sights to see in that time. There was a lot more than I wished I could have seen done, and probably if I return on a leisure trip to Japan again, I would fly directly into Kyoto instead of Tokyo. If you go to Japan, do not just stay in Tokyo – I strongly urge you to include Kyoto as The Kyoto famous sights probably embody are all the traditional ideas of Japan you think of.

In previous Travel Tuesday posts I’ve already covered seeing on a one day walk the temples and shrines near the Higashimaya District, and also then those in the Arashiyama area. There are also a few other Kyoto famous sights that we visited that don’t fit well location wise in a continuous neighborhood walking tour, but I think are extremely worthy to visit and are emblems of Kyoto. Here are 2 more of the most famous of things to see in Kyoto, and are pretty famous sights for Japan in general… Which one do you prefer?

Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)

There are two things to look out for when you visit Kinkakuji, also known as the Golden Pavilion. One of them is pretty obvious, and one is not. Do not confuse Kinkakuji with Ginkakuji – Ginkakuji is the Silver Pavilion (which is not silver at all).

The obvious: everyone comes here for the famous shiny gold of the Golden Pavilion which is one of the most famous sights of Kyoto and Japan. We go through a gate and suddenly BAM! This is the view – the famous main pavilion is covered in gold leaf and shimmers in front of yoko-chi (Mirror Pond). This pavilion and pond take up 93,000 of the 132,000 square meter temple grounds so I guess coming across it so quickly is unavoidable. The garden is designed to provide variations of views as the stones and trees have unusual shapes and change the landscape based on the angle while walking around Mirror Pond.
We go through a gate and suddenly BAM this is the view - the famous main pavilion is covered in gold leaf and shimmers in front of a pond - Kyoko-chi (Mirror Pond) at Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto. This pavilion and pond take up 93,000 of the 132,000 square meter temple grounds <At Kinkakuji Temple, the trees and stones have unusual shapes as the garden is designed to provide a view of different scenes while walking around this Mirror Pond.

You are not allowed to enter the Golden Pavilion itself, but you can see a bit inside the first floor where the windows are open that there are statues of Statues of the Shaka Buddha (historical Buddha) and shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. This was the shogon’s retirement villa until his death when he willed it to become a temple.
You are not allowed to enter the Golden Pavilion itself, but you can see a bit inside the first floor where the windows are open that there are statues of Statues of the Shaka Buddha (historical Buddha) and Yoshimitsu. No, shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu this was the retirement villa until his death when he willed it to become a temple, not the Yoshimitsu fighter in Tekken or Soul Calibur. Kinkakuji was built to echo the extravagant Kitayama culture that developed in the wealthy aristocratic circles of Kyoto during Yoshimitsu's times. Each floor represents a different style of architecture. The first floor is built in the Shinden style used for palace buildings during the Heian Period, and with its natural wood pillars and white plaster walls. The second floor is built in the Bukke style used in samurai residences, and has its exterior completely covered in gold leaf. Finally, the third and uppermost floor is built in the style of a Chinese Zen Hall, is gilded inside and out. Then the building is capped with a golden phoenix.

The non-obvious: Check out the details of the buildings besides that of the Golden Pavilion – everyone was rushing to get there for their photo op and missing out on the various ways Yoshimitsu incorporated Chinese elements.
Lots of roof detail - other buildings on the grounds of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto Peach on part of the roof detail - on the grounds of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto

Particularly, the Guardian Lions that are all over Kinkakuji are great. There are multiple variations of them, so keep a look out for them on various rooftops and gates in their different poses that clearly embrace the cat side.
The Guardian Lions at the entrance gate roofs of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto Seems like a natural position to me for a Guardian Lion - spotted on the roof of a gate on the grounds of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto The Guardian Lion at the gate roofs of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto have a variety of great poses that are a bit humorous The Guardian Lions on the gate roofs of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto have a variety of great poses that are a bit humorous The Guardian Lion on gate roofs of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto have a variety of great poses that are a bit humorous

Also, just outside the exit there is a little tea garden where you can enjoy matcha tea and a little gold flaked tea snack. Past that just outside the temple there are other stands with gold flaked food if you are looking to eat more gold.
"We We stopped to enjoy tea and a tea snack just outside the gates of Kinkakuji. The tea snack had a gold flake on it, and you can make out the outline of 2 mountains in the back and the main hall in the bottom right

Fushimi Inari Shrine

The Fushimi Inari Shrine is one the most famous symbols of Japan. It’s a shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto guide of rice, and Shinto’s messengers the kitsune (fox spirits). This is the location of the thousands of Torii Gates you usually see in photos winding on trails through the woods and up a small mountain.

When you first encounter the gates be prepared for the crush of people unless you come very early or at dusk/later as everyone first walks through the single main trail.
Beginning of the thousands of Torii Gates at Fushimi Inari shrine, which shortly will turn into with two dense, parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii (

Then, it breaks out into two parallel paths, one going up and one going down, thick with smaller gates.
Beginning of the thousands of Torii Gates at Fushimi Inari shrine, which shortly will turn into with two dense, parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii (thousands of torii gates)

As you go farther and farther up, the crowds will start to thin out so you can start to enjoy the details.
Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate.

The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator’s name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. Supposedly the cost starts around 400,000 yen for a small sized gate and increases to over one million yen for a large gate.
Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate.

You can go all the way up Mount Inari, or turn around at any time. The trail span 4 kilometers and takes approximately 2 hours to walk up to the top. The view at the top is not too spectacular, so we only went partway before turning around so that we could visit another area (in this case we did a half day in Arashiyama immediately after this with lunch at Tenryuji Temple). Alternatively, Tofukuji Temple is not too far away from Fushimi Inari. Both Tenryuji and Tofukuji are temples for the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, so I didn’t feel bad skipping out on Tofukuji to to go Tenryuji instead since it offered the extra of the Buddhist Vegetarian Lunch.
Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate. Fushimi Inari Shrine, the famous path of red Torii Gates. The torii gates along the entire trail are donations by individuals and companies, and you will find the donator's name and the date of the donation inscribed on the back of each gate.

Partway up towards Mount Inari you will find some of the kitsune shrines which I recommend stopping to admire, some of the smaller shrines will have stacks of miniature torii gates donated by visitors with smaller budgets.
Along the way of the Torii Gate covered path at Fushimi Inari, there are multiple smaller shrines with stacks of miniature torii gates that were donated by visitors with smaller budgets. Along the way of the Torii Gate covered path at Fushimi Inari, there are multiple smaller shrines with stacks of miniature torii gates that were donated by visitors with smaller budgets.

In the shops outside the shrine we found lots of fox souvenirs, as well as oddly, a lot of grilled quail and one stand focused on unagi (eel). At a restaurant by Fushimi Inari Shrine we felt compelled to get some Inari Sushi which features pieces of aburaage (fried tofu), said to be a favorite food of foxes. Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage bags.
Food around the outside of Fushimi Inari Shrine - Grilled Quail on skewers Food around the outside of Fushimi Inari Shrine - Eel (Unagi) Lots of fox items to purchase at Fushimi Inari Shrine at the shops just outside at a restaurant by Fushimi Inari Shrine we felt compelled to get some Inari Sushi which features pieces of aburaage (fried tofu), said to be a favorite food of foxes. Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage bags

Fushimi Inari Shrine is open 24 hours, and is much more quiet and atmospheric when combined with dawn or dusk and just lit by its lanterns.

Have you seen or heard of Kinkajuji Temple and Fushimi Inari Shrine before? Which would you visit?

In my next (and last) post on Kyoto I want to show you the streets of Gion (including what Lonely Planet calls the most beautiful street in Japan), and recommend a sake bar. Then, my Travel Tuesday posts will take us off to Osaka!

Here’s a summary of my Japan Travel post series:

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