Share this tour
Offered languages
- English
We pull rickshaws through Kyoto for a living, and we know these streets in our legs. But the quietest corners of Gion — the lanes where geiko and maiko culture is still lived rather than performed — are too narrow for a rickshaw. So we trained a team to walk them.
This walk begins with a bow, not a map. In the first few minutes your guide teaches three things every local knows: how to bow and what each angle means, how to say thank you so that it lands, and how to give way on a narrow street. Small things, but shopkeepers greet you back and residents nod.
From Yasaka Shrine once the crowds thin, you walk Hanami-koji as the lanterns come on, the stone lanes of Ishibe-koji, and Yasaka Pagoda at the view everyone photographs — with your guide taking the picture, so you are in it.
Your guide is trained by NINJAYA's Uji Macho rickshaw crew and by a Grade-1 certified Kyoto history specialist, the city's highest official certification.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We wait at the foot of the steps, on the left-hand side, at the West Gate (Nishi-romon) of Yasaka Shrine. Look for our guide holding the company name's flag.
Itinerary
-
1Yasaka Shrine
Your guide teaches you how to enter a Japanese shrine: where to walk through the gate, how to rinse your hands, and how to bow and clap.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Gion Shirakawa
Your guide explains the world of maiko and geiko along this willow-lined canal.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3Hanamikoji Street
A guided walk down Gion Kobu's main street, lined with wooden machiya townhouses.
15 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Yasui-Konpiragu
Your guide explains Shinto belief here, and you try omikuji fortune slips and ema votive plaques yourself.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Yasakanoto
The five-storey pagoda founded around 1,400 years ago and the symbol of this district. Your guide takes your photo here.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6Sannenzaka Ninenzaka
Kyoto's best-known souvenir lanes. Packed by day, but quiet enough to enjoy on an evening walk.
3 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7Nene-no-Michi
A stone-paved street with no utility poles or overhead wires — the old Kyoto skyline, uninterrupted.
3 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8Kodaiji Park
A short break partway through the walk. Public restrooms are available here.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
9Ishibe Alley
A narrow stone-paved lane of traditional machiya houses, laid out between the late Meiji and Taisho eras. One of the quietest corners of the district.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
10Yasaka Shrine
Back where you started, at Yasaka Shrine, where your guide takes a group photo before the tour ends.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Your guide to the flawless travel experience
Popular Countries
Get our app
