Kyoto Gion Night Walking Tour
4.9
30 Ratings
Kyoto
Discover Kyoto's Gion by night in an intimate, small-group tour. Explore secret paths, enjoy personal guide attention, and immerse in local culture.
Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

  • Hanamikoji Street - It is one of the most famous streets in Kyoto. You may see a Maiko or Geiko if lucky. If you see a Maiko or Geiko, greet them with a smile and say “Konnichiwa.”

  • Yasui-Konpiragu - It is a shrine that helps men and women meet each other and cut off bad relationships.
    In the case of a married couple or a couple, the bond will be stronger.

  • Sannenzaka Ninenzaka - This road leads near Kiyomizu-dera Temple. This road also has a beautiful traditional Kyoto townscape, and Yasaka-no-to (Yasaka Pagoda) is especially popular.

  • Ryōzen Kannon Temple - It was built in 1955 to pray for the repose of the souls of the victims of World War II. There is a very large statue of Kannon.

  • Kodai-ji Temple - It was built about 400 years ago by the wife of a shogun to mourn the death of her husband.
    Visitors can enjoy the beautiful garden, the 400-year-old tea ceremony house, and the bamboo grove.
    Also, this place is not as crowded as Kiyomizu-dera Temple and is a perfect temple to feel the calm atmosphere of Kyoto.

Caution: Daytime only
Closing time is 5 pm.

  • Yasaka Shrine - Yasaka Shrine is the head shrine of approximately 2,300 related shrines throughout Japan. Yasaka Shrine is known as “Gion-san” for its blessings to ward off bad luck, bring good luck, and promote beauty.
What's Included
  • Portable fan, cooling items (only in summer)
  • Photography service - I will take your picture
Additional Information

Would you prefer a walking tour for 20 or 30 people? This is a small group tour with a maximum of 6 people, so it’s easy to talk to the guide, and the guide can pay attention to each person.

On this tour, you will explore the Gion neighborhood with a Japanese guide who was born and raised in Kyoto. This tour is more than just a group of participants following a guide and admiring the scenery. It is held in small groups, allowing the guide to share knowledge and participants to ask questions and enjoy conversation.

Starts at the Minamiza Theater and heads to a quieter neighborhood. Enjoy the gradually changing atmosphere of the city. During the walk, we will also take you to secret paths and spots with spectacular views that are not well known to travelers.

You can visit famous temples efficiently by car, but don’t forget to enjoy the traditional streets while walking.

Location
Minamiza Theater
Come to the front of the theater named Minamiza near Gion-Shijo station. I will be there with a sign "TravelinGood!!".
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(30 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Mc8616
May 5, 2024
Excellent Walking Tour - Great guide! Sho was amazing. Excellent route we would not be able to find ourselves. Plenty of photos options along the way. There are way less tourists at night.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
927katea
May 5, 2024
Night walk around Gion area Kyoto - Loved this tour of Kyoto Gion area with Sho our guide! It was an easy walk, interesting and at a relaxed pace Would recommend it
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marlyn_s
May 5, 2024
Do this!! - Grateful for an enriching journey through Kyoto's Gion district guided by Sho. His expertise and passion illuminated the historic streets, offering insights into the geisha culture and traditions. A truly unforgettable experience! 🌸 We definitely recommend this 90 minute tour.
Review provided by Viator
Kaikai0510
May 5, 2024
Walking around Kyoto Gion at night - It's a good time to walk at night, where you can experience the different scenery at night. The tour guide who took us this time told some introductions about geishas and some temple-related things. The entire trip is basically a walk around Hanamikoji, Gion, and finally exiting at Yasaka Shrine. The trip is quite short, so if the price per person is cheap, this trip is quite suitable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fay_n
May 3, 2024
Would Do Sho's Tour Again - Sho is an excellent tour guide! As a repeat Japan visitor from Hawaii (10 times before), and first time visitors from CA, my friends and I enjoyed this tour of Gion for the first time, and we all enjoyed it very much! Sho tour was about an hour and a half, taking us to many shrines, the main geisha headquarters's office, and sharing a lot of informative information. Although we didn't see any geisha or maiko that night (beyond Sho's control), he tool us to the "backroads" for a better chance to cross paths with a geisha. I especially appreciate Sho keeping his tour limit to 6. This gave each of us (4 in our group) a very personal tour. We passed a couple other walking tours that had over a dozen people! Highly recommend this young man's tour. He's friendly, did a lot of research, and will offer you a great experience! My daughter and her husband are planning a trip in December, and I'll recommend Sho's..tour to them!
Review provided by Viator
Oriya_h
Apr 26, 2024
Sho was great! - Sho was amazing! He was on time and knowledgeable. Took us to spots we wouldn’t have gone by ourselves and taught us the history of Gion. Was a great tour. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Satish_m
Apr 24, 2024
Sho did a great job... - Sho did a great job showing us around the district. He took us through the so called “secret” alleys. He even helped us spot a maiko. Gion is magical by the night with less crowds and we had a great time.
Review provided by Viator
Mike_s
Apr 21, 2024
Worth it !! - Sho-san gave us a wonderful evening tour of Kyoto Gion area and showcased his local and historical knowledge throughout. We were impressed both with his age and english. We would highly recommend this tour if you want to experience a relaxing (almost tourist free) stroll across hidden streets and shrines while taking magical photos - some of which he took for us!
Review provided by Viator
483ulrichl
Apr 23, 2024
Quite a nice experience - Announced as a night walk through Gion the walk also took us through South Higashiyama and Sannenkaza, which was somewhat surprising since we expected a chance to get deeper into the officially restricted Gion areas. Hey! We spotted one Geiko floating by and one Maiko and Sho explained about the difference and even led us past the Geisha main office (the building gives no hint whatsoever what is going on there). Sho is a nice guy who did his best and walked us to some extremely nice shrines and temples we otherwise would not have come across on our own. A slight drizzle helped to visit these sites almost tourist-free and the area certainly is a must see. Downside (it would be unfair to others not to mention) is that Sho, although eager, wasn't as talkative as you'd expect from a guide - we would have wished for some extended explanations on historic backgrounds, peculiarities of historic japanese architecture etc. Overall a quite nice experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caitlin_s
Apr 29, 2024
Lovely tour guide exploring the 'top' sights - Firstly our tour guide was so lovely and friendly and the cost of the tour was so cheap. He took us to all the top spots and offered to take pictures for us which was great. However, the tour guide did not appear to have great knowledge about the area and about the geishas and meiko (history etc). The information we received was very minimal and when asked questions he often did not know the answer/did not understand the questions. I feel really bad being critical as he was so lovely but I did not feel like I learnt very much about the area. So if you just want guided to the top spots to get some pictures then this tour is for you. However, if you want an in-depth tour exploring the history and current information about the area then this tour is maybe not for you.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 7 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today