Kyoto: Higashiyama and Gion on Foot

Photo: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

This walk follows the classic route from Kiyomizu-dera, high on Kyoto's eastern hills, down through the old Higashiyama quarter to the canals of Gion. Over 12 stops you will see a temple stage built without nails, stone-stepped lanes lined with wooden townhouses, a 15th-century pagoda, the temple a warlord's widow built for her husband, the shrine behind the Gion Festival, Kyoto's oldest Zen temple and Japan's oldest kabuki theater.

The route is about 3 kilometers, mostly downhill, with stone steps on Sannenzaka and at Kodai-ji. Allow about two and a half hours, more if you go inside the temples, which charge admission. Wear good shoes and carry water and some cash.

Start early. Kiyomizu-dera usually opens around 6 a.m., and by mid-morning the lanes are packed. Begin at the temple's vermilion Nio Gate, a 15-minute uphill walk from the Kiyomizu-michi and Gojo-zaka bus stops on Higashioji-dori.

These are living neighborhoods: speak softly, eat where you buy, and never photograph geiko or maiko without permission.

12 stops on this tour:

Kiyomizu-dera - The Stage Built Without Nails

Sannenzaka - Mind Your Step

Yasaka Pagoda (Hokan-ji) - Old Kyoto's Skyline

Ninenzaka - The Gentler Slope

Kodai-ji - A Widow's Temple

Ishibe-koji Lane - The Quiet Back Way

Maruyama Park - Under the Night Cherry

Yasaka Shrine - Home of the Gion Festival

Hanamikoji Street - Gion's Teahouse Row

Kennin-ji - Where Zen and Tea Took Root

Minamiza - Kabuki's Oldest Stage

Shirakawa and Tatsumi Bridge - Gion by the Water

Plan your visit

Route: 12 stops · about 2.3 miles · walking, one way
Time: about 2.5 hours at an easy pace, with stops
Start: Kiyomizu-dera (directions)
Cost: free tour

Stops on this tour

All international tours →