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Hanamikoji Street

Gion (祇園)[note 1] is a district of Kyoto, Japan, originally developed in the Sengoku period, in front of Yasaka Shrine (Gion Shrine). The district was built to accommodate the needs of travelers and visitors to the shrine, it eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. The term Gion is related to Jetavana.





A typical kaiseki restaurant in Gion




Gion remains dotted with old-style Japanese houses called machiya, which roughly translated means "townhouse", some of which are ochaya or "tea houses"; these are traditional establishments where the patrons of Gion—from the samurai of old to modern-day businessmen—have been entertained by geiko in an exclusive manner for centuries.




The stretch of the Shirakawa River before it enters the Kamo river is also a popular preserved area, it is lined on the south side with traditional establishments which directly abut the river, and some are accessed by crossing bridges from the north side. The north side was previously also lined with buildings, but these were torn down in World War II as a fire-prevention measure, and the section is now primarily a pedestrian street, lined with cherry blossoms; these are lit up in the evening in the spring, and the area is active year-round.

Annual events[edit]


In popular culture[edit]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ In traditional kana spelling spelt ぎをん, which in modern orthography is ぎおん. The first kanji 祇 is properly 示 + 氏, but is often written as ネ + 氏 instead, and on computers depends on the font used. Occasionally 祗 (示 + 氐) is seen, but this is a mistake (these are distinct characters).

External links[edit]

  • "Kyoto Travel: Gion". Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  • "Gion - Kyoto :: Japan Visitor". Retrieved 2009-07-05.
  • "Kyoto's Gion district – Walk the streets with Geisha and Maiko". Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  • Miyako Odori