Things to Do
体験
Kimono, rickshaws, tea, and the early-morning temples that make staying in Gion worth it.
着物、人力車、茶道、そして早朝の寺社。
Early morning temples
早朝の寺社
This is the single strongest reason to stay where you are staying. Most visitors are in hotels near the station and cannot get to Higashiyama before the crowds. You can walk out of the front door and be standing in an empty temple in twenty minutes.
駅前のホテルからでは、混雑前に東山へ到達できません。ここからなら20分で無人の寺に立てます。
- Kiyomizu-dera opens at 6:00. 20–25 minutes on foot. The stone lanes below it are still shuttered and silent at that hour.
- 清水寺は朝6時開門。徒歩20〜25分。坂道の店はまだ閉まっています。
- Yasaka Shrine never closes. 10 minutes. Lit through the night; at 5 a.m. you may well be alone in it.
- 八坂神社は24時間参拝可能。徒歩10分。夜通し灯りがついています。
- Fushimi Inari never closes either. 9 minutes by train. Before dawn or after dark, the tunnels of gates are lit and almost empty.
- 伏見稲荷も24時間。京阪で9分。夜明け前や日没後は千本鳥居がほぼ無人です。
- Kennin-ji admits visitors to its halls from 10:00, but the grounds are a quiet place to walk long before that. Four minutes away.
- 建仁寺の拝観は10時からですが、境内は早朝から静かに歩けます。徒歩4分。
Some temples run special dawn openings and seated meditation sessions for visitors — these change season to season and usually need booking. Ask us and we will point you at what is running.
早朝特別拝観や座禅体験は寺により季節ごとに実施されます。要予約のものが多いためお尋ねください。
Kimono rental
レンタル着物
Walking Higashiyama in kimono is genuinely one of the good tourist clichés. Shops cluster around Kiyomizu and Gion, and most are within fifteen minutes of here.
清水寺・祇園周辺に多数あります。
What to know before you book
予約前に知っておくこと
- Book ahead in spring and autumn. Walk-ins are often turned away in cherry blossom and maple season.
- 春と秋は要予約。当日受付は断られることが多いです。
- Allow an hour for dressing, and longer if you want hair done.
- 着付けに1時間程度。ヘアセットを含めるとさらにかかります。
- Return time is usually 17:30–18:00. Plan your route around it, or pay for the next-day return option.
- 返却は17時半〜18時が一般的。翌日返却プランのある店もあります。
- Wear or bring thin socks. The sandals are worn with tabi, and the thongs blister bare feet within an hour.
- 草履は足袋を履いて使います。素足では靴ずれします。
- Those stone steps are steep. Kimono shortens your stride considerably. Give yourself twice the time you think you need.
- 着物では歩幅が狭くなります。坂道は時間に余裕を持ってください。
Two shops we would point you to
おすすめの2軒
Closest to the house
宿から最も近い
Kimono Rental wargo — Kyoto Gion
京都着物レンタル wargo 京都祇園店
On Shijo Street, a couple of minutes from Gion-Shijo Station and barely five from our door — the shortest walk of any shop here, which matters when you are learning to move in a kimono.
四条通・大和大路西入。京阪祇園四条駅から徒歩2分、この宿からも徒歩5分ほどで、慣れない着物での移動が最短で済みます。
| From here | 宿から | 約5分 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | 料金 | Yukata from about ¥3,300; kimono plans above that. Online booking is cheaper than walking in. | 浴衣 約3,300円〜。オンライン決済割引あり。 |
| Hours | 営業 | 10:00–17:30, dressing bookings close mid-afternoon. Next-day return and courier return available for a small supplement. | 10:00〜17:30（着付け最終受付15:30）。翌日返却・宅配返却のオプションあり。 |
| Good for | 向いている方 | Children from about 3 years, men, formal kimono, and photography plans with a photographer. Pushchairs can be left at the shop, and they operate in the rain. | お子様（3歳〜）、メンズ、フォーマル着物、撮影プラン。ベビーカー預かり可、雨天可。 |
Right at the shrine
八坂神社の目の前
MOCOMOCO — Yasaka Shrine / Gion
京都着物レンタル MOCOMOCO 八坂神社祇園店
A minute from the Yasaka Shrine gate, which puts you at the top of the Higashiyama walk the moment you step outside. About ten minutes from us, on Higashioji.
八坂神社の西楼門まで徒歩1分。着替えたらすぐ東山散策に入れます。宿からは徒歩10分ほど。
| From here | 宿から | 約10分 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| From | 料金 | Plans from about ¥3,300 (student) / ¥5,500 (standard); couples' plans available. | 学割 約3,300円〜、通常プラン 約5,500円〜、カップルプランあり。 |
| Hours | 営業 | 09:00–18:00, returns by 17:30. Open every day. Same-day booking accepted, and cancellation is free. | 09:00〜18:00（返却17:30）。年中無休、当日予約可、キャンセル料無料。 |
| Good for | 向いている方 | Evening events — they offer next-day return and return-to-your-hotel, so you are not rushing back at 17:30 during Gion Matsuri or the autumn illuminations. English and Chinese-speaking staff. | 夜のイベント。翌日返却・ホテル返却があるため、祇園祭や紅葉ライトアップでも17:30に急いで戻る必要がありません。英語・中国語対応スタッフ在籍。 |
Which one? If you want the shortest walk and are dressing children or men as well, wargo. If you are out in the evening — a festival, an illumination — MOCOMOCO, for the late return. Both take same-day bookings, but not in blossom or maple season.
選び方：移動距離を短く、お子様やメンズも一緒ならwargo。夜のイベントに出るなら遅い返却のあるMOCOMOCO。いずれも当日予約可ですが、桜と紅葉の時期は要事前予約です。
Rickshaw
人力車
The pullers work the streets around Yasaka Shrine, Hanamikoji and Arashiyama. Rides run from about ten minutes to a full hour, and the pullers double as guides — many speak good English and know exactly which corners photograph well.
八坂神社周辺、花見小路、嵐山で営業しています。10分程度から1時間以上のコースがあります。
Agree the course and the price before you get in. It is not cheap, but for older travellers, or anyone whose feet have given up on the Higashiyama hills, it is a sensible way to see a lot without walking it.
乗車前にコースと料金をご確認ください。東山の坂道が負担な方には有効な選択肢です。
Ebisuya — Kyoto Higashiyama
人力車のえびす屋 京都東山店
The best-known operator in Kyoto, and the one you will see around Higashiyama. The pullers are trained guides as much as athletes — several hold the Kyoto history certification, and some work in English (ask when you book).
京都で最も知られた事業者です。俥夫はガイドを兼ねており、京都検定保持者や英語対応の方もいます（予約時にご相談ください）。
| Course | Two people | One person | コース | 2名 | 1名 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 min | ¥5,000 | ¥4,000 | |||
| 30 min | ¥10,000 | ¥9,000 | |||
| 45 min | ¥15,000 | ¥13,000 | |||
| 60 min | ¥20,000 | ¥16,000 |
Prices are per rickshaw, not per person, so two people ride for little more than one. There is also an option where you decide the length on the day, after talking to your puller — which is the sensible way to do it if you are unsure.
料金は1台あたりです。当日俥夫と相談して長さを決めるプランもあります。
Boarding points: Kodai-ji Park (about 15 minutes' walk from here, in the middle of the Higashiyama sights) and in front of Heian Shrine. Same-day boarding is possible without booking, subject to availability.
乗り場：高台寺公園（宿から徒歩約15分、東山観光の中心）と平安神宮應天門前。当日受付もあります。
Card and mobile payment are accepted. Fares shown are a guide — check the current rates when you book.
カード・キャッシュレス決済に対応。料金は目安です。予約時に最新の料金をご確認ください。
Tea, calligraphy, cooking
茶道・写経・料理
| Tea ceremony | 茶道 | 45–90 minutes, often in a machiya townhouse. English-language sessions are common in Gion. Book a day or two ahead. | 45〜90分。町家で行うものが多く、英語対応の教室もあります。 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutra copying (shakyo) | 写経 | Tracing a sutra in ink with a brush. Quiet, meditative, no experience needed, and offered at a number of temples without booking. | 筆で経文を書き写します。予約不要の寺院もあります。 |
| Zazen meditation | 座禅 | Zen temples run public sittings, often early in the morning. Expect to sit still for longer than is comfortable — that is rather the point. | 早朝に一般向けの座禅会を行う寺院があります。 |
| Cooking classes | 料理教室 | Home cooking, sushi, wagashi sweets. Many start with a walk through Nishiki Market to buy the ingredients. | 家庭料理、寿司、和菓子など。錦市場での買い出しから始まるものもあります。 |
Seeing geiko and maiko, properly
舞妓・芸妓を見るには
Gion is a working district. The women you may glimpse hurrying down Hanamikoji at dusk are on their way to work, usually late, and are not there to be photographed. Please do not follow them or block their way.
花街は職場です。移動中の芸妓・舞妓さんは仕事の途上にあります。
If you actually want to see a performance, there are proper ways, and they are better:
鑑賞を希望される場合は、以下の方法があります。
- Miyako Odori — the Gion districts stage public dance performances each spring, usually through April. Tickets sell in advance.
- 都をどり：例年4月に上演。前売券が必要です。
- Kyo Odori — Miyagawa-cho, our own neighbouring district, holds its own spring performances.
- 京おどり：隣接する宮川町の春の公演です。
- Gion Corner — a short introductory programme covering tea ceremony, koto, kyogen and dance. Aimed squarely at visitors, and none the worse for it.
- ギオンコーナー：茶道・箏曲・狂言・京舞などを短時間で紹介する公演。
- An ozashiki evening — dinner with entertainment, arranged through a hotel, an agency or a restaurant that can vouch for you. Expensive, and the real thing.
- お座敷体験：紹介を通じた会食形式。相応の費用がかかります。
If it rains
雨の日は
Kyoto gets a proper rainy season in June, and sudden downpours through the summer. Wet stone and dripping moss suit this city, so do not write the day off — but if you want to stay dry:
6月は梅雨、夏は夕立があります。屋内で過ごす選択肢です。
- Nishiki Market — entirely covered, twelve minutes away.
- 錦市場（全蓋アーケード、徒歩12分）
- Kyoto National Museum — a fifteen-minute bus ride, and a serious collection.
- 京都国立博物館（バスで15分）
- A tea ceremony or cooking class — the obvious indoor use of a wet afternoon.
- 茶道・料理教室
- Temple interiors — Kennin-ji's painted screens and Sanjusangen-do's thousand statues are indoor experiences.
- 建仁寺の障壁画、三十三間堂の千体千手観音
- A sento or onsen bathhouse — the correct response to being cold and wet.
- 銭湯・温泉
Clear plastic umbrellas are sold at every convenience store for a few hundred yen. Nobody will think less of you for buying the third one.
ビニール傘はコンビニで購入できます。
Bathhouses
銭湯・温泉
After a day of walking Higashiyama, a public bath is the correct answer. Kyoto's old sento are neighbourhood institutions — tiled murals, absurdly hot water, and a few hundred yen to get in.
東山を歩いた後には銭湯がおすすめです。数百円で入れます。
How it works, if you have not done this before
入浴の作法
- Pay, and separate by gender. 受付で支払い、男女に分かれます。 Red curtain is women, blue is men. Shoes go in a locker at the entrance. 赤が女湯、青が男湯です。靴は下足箱へ。
- Undress completely. 脱衣所ですべて脱ぎます。 No swimwear. Everything goes in the basket or locker. You carry in only a small towel. 水着は着用しません。持ち込むのは小さなタオル1枚です。
- Wash before you get in. 湯船の前に体を洗います。 Sit on a stool at a tap, wash and rinse thoroughly. This is the rule that matters most — the bath water is shared and stays clean. 洗い場で座って洗い、しっかり流します。最も大切な作法です。
- Then soak. 湯船に浸かります。 Keep your small towel out of the water — on your head or on the side. No swimming, no splashing, no soap in the tub. タオルは湯に入れません。頭の上か縁に置きます。
- Dry off before the changing room. 脱衣所に戻る前に体を拭きます。 Wring out the small towel and wipe down so you do not drip on the floor. 床を濡らさないようにという配慮です。
Bring your own soap and towel, or buy a set at the counter — most places sell them.
石鹸・タオルは持参するか、受付で購入できます。
Tattoos
タトゥーについて
Many bathhouses and onsen in Japan still refuse entry to anyone with visible tattoos, regardless of size or design. This is not aimed at foreign visitors — it is a long-standing association with organised crime — but it is applied to everyone.
多くの銭湯・温泉ではタトゥーのある方の入浴をお断りしています。
If you have tattoos, your options are: find a bathhouse that permits them (an increasing number do, and they say so on the door), cover small ones with a patch sold at drugstores, or book a private bath. Please check before you undress rather than after — being asked to leave at that point is unpleasant for everyone.
タトゥーのある方は、タトゥー可の施設を選ぶ、シールで隠す、貸切風呂を予約する、のいずれかをご検討ください。
Two bathhouses to try
近くの銭湯
| Atarashi-yu 新シ湯 about 10 minutes | 新シ湯 徒歩約10分 |
The closest bathhouse, and it has been running in Higashiyama for over a century. North up Yamato-oji, then west off Furumonzen-dori through the antique shops. 15:00–24:00, closed Fridays. An ordinary neighbourhood sento with almost no tourists in it, which is rather the point. Assumed to follow the usual no-tattoo rule — please ask at the counter first. Map ↗ | 最寄りの銭湯。東山で100年以上続いています。大和大路を北へ、古門前通を西に入った古美術店の並ぶ一角。15:00〜24:00、金休。観光客のほとんどいない普通の町の銭湯です。タトゥーの可否は未確認のため、受付でご確認ください。地図 ↗ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauna no Umeyu サウナの梅湯 about 18 minutes | サウナの梅湯 徒歩約18分 |
Tattoos are welcome here — there is even a tattoo studio on the first floor. Further away, near Gojo, but the obvious choice if the rule above rules you out. 14:00–26:00 daily, with an extra 06:00–12:00 morning session on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed Thursdays. Map ↗ | タトゥー可。2階にタトゥースタジオがあるほどで、入れ墨のある方の入浴を断っていません。五条方面で少し遠いですが、タトゥーのある方はこちらへ。14:00〜26:00（土日は6:00〜12:00の朝風呂あり）、木休。地図 ↗ |
Opening hours at small bathhouses change without notice. Tap through to the map before setting out.
銭湯の営業時間は予告なく変わります。お出かけ前に地図リンクでご確認ください。
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