Yasaka Shrine, located in Gion district, is one of Kyoto's most famous Shinto shrines. Visitors can admire its beautiful architecture, lanterns, and enjoy the serene atmosphere of its surroundings. This shrine is deeply related to geisha culture. You can find out what those connections are by joining our tour.
Gion is the most famous geisha district in Japan, known for its traditional wooden houses and narrow streets. As the sun goes down, the lights of the paper lanterns start dimly, creating a mysterious atmosphere. Gion has been the center of geisha culture for centuries, where visitors can experience the elegance and artistry of Geiko (Kyoto term of geisha) and Maiko (apprentice geiko) performances. While strolling through beautiful alleys, a guide will tell you about the history of geisha, how they are trained, and what their daily life is like. If you're lucky, you might even encounter geiko and maiko during a tour! Join our tour and delve deeper into the real geisha culture in this iconic district.
Tatsumi Daimyojin is a Shinto shrine in Kyoto, dedicated to a deity of protection, good fortune, and safety, especially for travelers and warriors. It was founded during the Heian period (794-1185) and is located in the Tatsumi area. Historically, it has been linked to the imperial family and samurai. The shrine features typical Shinto architecture and is known for its scenic beauty, particularly during cherry blossom season.
Tatsumi Bridge is a small traditional bridge located in a corner of Gion that feels like stepping into a scene from a movie. The area around Tatsumi Bridge is filled with charming wooden machiya houses, traditional tea houses, and the tranquil Shirakawa Canal. The area is particularly beautiful during cherry blossom season and in the evenings when the lanterns illuminate the historic streets, offering a magical atmosphere.
Gion Shirakawa, or Shirakawa Canal, is a picturesque and tranquil waterway that adds a touch of serene beauty to the area. Lined with well-preserved traditional wooden machiya houses and weeping cherry trees, the canal offers a scenic escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.
The other area of Gion
Hanamikoji Street is a main street in Gion. This charming street is lined with traditional wooden machiya houses, tea houses, shops and restaurants, exuding an atmosphere of old-world elegance. Hanami-koji is especially renowned for its well-preserved architecture and its association with Kyoto’s geisha culture, where you might spot geiko (geisha in Kyoto) and maiko gracefully walking.
Gion Corner is a unique cultural venue which showcases a variety of traditional art performances that highlight Kyoto's rich cultural heritage. The venue provides a comprehensive introduction to the traditional arts, often performed by skilled practitioners. This venue is a beloved spot for both Japanese and international tourists, offering a convenient and accessible way to appreciate the depth of Kyoto’s artistic traditions.
What an enjoyable tour of Gion with Keiko-san. She took us to interesting architectural stops and we loved hearing about her insight of geiko and maiko life that we felt engaged throughout. A tour worth joining!
This was our favorite tour during our trip, all thanks to our incredible guide, Mami. She was so knowledgeable, personable, and engaging. Her storytelling really brought everything to life for us. Highly recommend!
Thank you Machiko, you were a wonderful guide and managed to answer all of our questions! I can highly recommend this experience, it was the highlight of my trip to Kyoto. Meeting the Maiko and the owner of the Tea House was a special experience. Great value for money.
My wife and I had a wonderful time on the walking tour. It was raining most of the time, but that didn't ruin the tour. If anything it made it more serene and the streets less busy. Our guide Hide was excellent! His English was very good and he was very knowledgeable about the area. There was no guarantee of seeing a Meiko or Geiko but we did briefly get to see 2 Meikos. Hide is also an excellent photographer! All the photos he took for us look amazing! It was really cool to see the Shrine and the Samurai store. Hide also recommended some good restaurants and things to do after the tour. The tour was 1.5-2 hours of walking so be prepared for that.
Our tour guide Hide was fantastic full of information, we managed to see some geishas as walking about thank you Hide from the Nottingham 4
Had a great time on the tour of Gion district learning all about geikos and maikos. The guide was lovely, very knowledgable and very well prepared. Would recommend.
Junko was very knowledgeable, easy to follow, and gave detailed history of the area. An educational and fun tour.
It was a fun and informative excursion. The guide junko and her helper did a fantastic job!
Hide was a great tour guide! The tour was well paced and informative. Highly recommend!
Informative and friendly guide. Really bought Gion to life for us!
Zara was wonderful explaining all the Japanese culture in English, she was very kind and sweet thank you
Very interesting and detailed tour of the Gion District. Yuko gave lots of information about the history of the Geisha area and answered many questions. A highly recommended tour.
Mami is an excellent guide and gave us a lot of interesting info about the places we visited. She paced the tour and the information very well. I’d definitely book to go on a tour with her again. Thank you Mami! 💜💙💜
Consider ear pieces for participants to hear better
Sara was a friendly, professional and patient guide. She answered our questions and provided contextual information about each of the stops. The tour took us through the temple area and geisha areas around Gion. The tour took just over the 2 hours stated.
Very good tour. Lots of great information.
Great walking tour, good information
Very nice tour. It was nice to learn about the shrines and geisha history and tradition. The guide mayumi was very informative, professional, and polite. Very good tour.
Mayumi was an excellent guide. She was very informative, fun, and easy to talk to. I would definitely recommend her to my friends
Very knowledgeable and kind. Would recommend
Keiko is fantastic! Her knowledge, patience, and her food recommendations make her top notch. I highly recommend her to anyone!
Michiko was very knowledgeable and friendly. She told us many things about Maiko and Geiko. The Gion district had parts that were quite lovely.
Keiko was excellent!! Very knowledgeable, organized and friendly.
Very informative. Yumi was knowledgeable and very courteous when answering questions. She was extremely knowledgeable about Japanese history and culture. Her specialty is the history and culture of the Geisha world.
A very Informative tour lead by Namiko a very knowledgeable guide which explained the history behind the secretive world of Geisha girls. We highly recommend this tour as an enjoyable part of your stay in Kyoto.
Namiko was an excellent and pleasant guide, helping all understand the Geisha culture.
great experience, with great insight into history of shrines and geisha’s. the tour lasted 2 hours and it was perfectly made. our guide Hiromi-san was a brilliant guide and we also got very lucky as we were able to spot both the Meiko-san and the Geisha-san.
Keiko was great! She was very knowledgeable on the Geiko culture and Kyoto as a whole! I really appreciate how she took her time explaining everything and would point out the little details. I also appreciate that she went slow so the tour never felt rushed!
We met our Guide Keiko as planned and enjoyed the 2 hour walking tour of the Geisha district in Gion. Keiko was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history of Gion and the Geiko and Maiko ladies. The golden temple all lit up at night was lovely, and we even got to see 5 Geiko and Meiko ladies all beautifully attired walking by us, which Keiko assured us was rare to see so many, and it was an amazing experience seeing these ladies in person - it really made the evening more special. I would not hesitate to recommend a tour with Keiko as she was a fantastic guide and a lovely lady. Thanks Keiko, Neil & Sheryl Buckley
A tour at night is so different. The lights and the atmosphere gives you other perspectives. Love the temperature and isn’t that. buzzy. Mitsuhiko S. Was a great guide, very well prepared with graphics , informative and entertaining. We learned some many fact. We highly recommend. Thank you Mitsukhiko. Alejandra
Very friendly and knowledgeable guide. Enjoyed our experience with Mayumi Shimizu.
Good informative walking tour with guide speaking good English.
Hide was great and very knowledgeable! We had a great time touring Kyoto and learning about its beautiful history.
Keiko was a wonderful guide through Kyoto's Gion district. We really enjoyed this walking tour. I'm glad we walked at night through the district 530 pm tour was perfect. Highly recommend Keiko. Thank you.
We were very happy with our guided tour experience. Juno was a very professional, knowledgeable and respectful guide and taught us so much about the ancient world of Geisha. We would highly recommend this tour!
We did a two hour tour in Geisha district in Kyoto. Our tour guide Keiko was very nice and very knowledgeable. We were impressed with her passion for dance and Japanese culture.It was a pleasure meeting her!
Our guide Toshi in Kyoto was fantastic! He was warm, knowledgeable, professional, and clearly passionate about sharing his beautiful city with us. His stories and insights brought Kyoto’s history and culture to life. We truly enjoyed our time with him and would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Kyoto!
2 hour tour of shrine and 2 geisha districts. Guide was very informative and friendly. His English was very good and understandable. I would encourage interaction with the guide as this highlights topics not normally told.
Our guide Keiko displayed a remarkable level of knowledge and professionalism. Her explanation of the Geiko life style was entlighting and extremely informative.
Keiko was a knowledgeable tour guide. Enjoyed our afternoon tour.
Our guide Hide was great! We learned so much about the area, the shrine, the geiko and maiko. And we were even lucky enough to see a maiko! It was a great experience and our guide Hide was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful! Highly recommend this tour!
Mika was great Gide an we learned a lot
Our guide, Yuko, was very knowledgable about the Gion district and the Geiko, and dispell popular misconceptions about Geisha's. She brought the history and development of the area together and was able to thoroughly answer questions fielded. I would recommend the tour to anyone interested in Japanese culture.
Yuko was a wonderful guide - very informative and entertaining. Thank you for a great time!
Very informative, thank you!
We had an excellent 2 hour tour around the Gion geisha (or geiko!) districts with Yuko, who was incredibly welcoming, knowledgable and an amazing guide! We started with introductions and Yuko kindly provided us with cooling neck cloths, a game-changer for the heat and humidity of Kyoto; we were incredibly grateful! Our group of 6 began with an exploration of Yasaka shrine and Yuko situated geiko culture within the broader historical context of Gion. We then wove our way through the quiet streets of Higashi Gion, soaking up the atmosphere learning about geiko culture and observing the ochayas where the geikos and maikos would entertain guests come nightfall. Yuko kindly offered to take photos throughout the tour to ensure that we would remember this beautiful, historic district. She shared her stories about the district, from tales of scandal to those of love, which truly brought the area to life. Even though Hanami-koji Street in Gion Kobu was busier with tourists, Yuko was able to navigate through the bustle to a quiet corner to maintain the peaceful atmosphere that her guiding cultivated. Yuko kindly provided us with advice on how to see geiko and maiko as well as meal recommendations at the end of our tour. Truly an amazing experience to get to know the area whilst staying in Kyoto and a way to gain genuine respect for geiko and maiko as the world seems to have developed a skewed understanding of these masterful women of arts. Would highly recommend if in Kyoto and wanting to learn more about the fascinating world of geikos.
Takuma was an exceptional tour guide friendly, adorable, and incredibly knowledgeable! He led us through Kyoto’s stunning shrines, sharing the rich history and deep cultural meaning behind each one with ease. The highlight was our walk through the Geisha district, where we were even lucky enough to spot two Maiko-san during the tour! Takuma made the entire experience engaging, seamless, and truly memorable. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a fun, insightful tour of Kyoto!
Takuma was a great tour guide who was very knowledgeable, had a great sense of humor. We had a great time in learning Japanese culture. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in learning new culture.
The tour was excellent!! Yuko was very knowledgeable about the gion district and you could tell she was passionate about it too. Thank you so much!
Yuko you were amazing - thank you. We had simply the best time on our tour with you. You explained everything perfectly without ever losing your audience or giving too much detail yet happy to expand on detail when asked. Ensuring everyone was happy and understood You very much helped correct many falsehoods out there about this incredible life choice which I hope people took home to pass on. The length of the tour was perfect we had a small group but everyone I feel felt included and it was at the right pace on a very hot day. As our tour was part of our package I do not know the external exact cost but I feel any tour with you as its guide would happily pay the fee asked. It was informative and very enjoyable you created the best atmosphere for all. Thank you not only for a great few hours in Kyoto, but also for the extras that made a difference to those of us struggling in the heat I now have 4 packs of the ice cloths you recommended can I also thank you for your dinner recommend - which was such an incredible experience and totally delicious. Yuko you are a treasure in Kyoto
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