Tatsumi Daimyojin shrine

This nearby shrine from the Gion Inn is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Gion district. It is believed that visiting the shrine will assist geisha in progressing their entertainment skills.  The shrine is also famous for its cherry blossoms in spring.  It is highly recommended to visit early in the morning to enjoy the scenery of the shrine as well as nearby Tatsumi Bridge so you can enjoy the sights by yourself.
Shinbashi area of Gion district has regulations for the use of cameras and tripods in the evening and at night.  Please follow the regulations for shooting videos and taking photos.
→Regulations for photo and video shooting

Gion District

Gion has flourished as a popular shopping and entertainment area for a long time.  It also represents continuously-changing "Kyoto Now" by embracing contemporary culture.
Visitors can enjoy the refined style and latest trend of Kyoto at restaurants and bars along the Shirakawa river.

Pontocho Alley

Pontocho Alley runs from Shijo-Dori (Fourth Avenue) to Sanjo-Dori (Third Avenue) and is packed with restaurants.  In summer, visitors can cool down at restaurants with  Kawadoko (dining outdoors on temporary platforms built over natural flowing water) and on the streets with Uchimizu (water gently splashed on the walkway). Some long-established dining places are highly exclusive and require the right connections.  But inexpensive bars and pubs have been growing, where many tourists can access and dine.

Gion Hanami-koji Street

This stone-paved street runs between Gion Kaburenjo Theater and Ken-ninji Temple, and is lined with well-known upscale Japanese dining establishments.
A comforting spot can be found on a side alley off the main street with many tourists.

Yasaka Jinja shrine

This shrine is also called "Gion-san".  It is well known for its amulet "Okera-bi (medical herb lit with fire)" believed to offer fire prevention and avoidance of bad luck and is available during the New Year. This shrine hosts activities during the "Gion Festival" (considered as summer in a catalog of season-specific words of Kyoto).  It is also next to Maruyama Park (famous for its weeping cherry tree). The shrine is located near Chionji Temple, a historic Buddhist temple complex.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

This temple is best known for its huge wooden stage or balcony overhanging from the main hall.  The stage offers visitors a spectacular view of the city of Kyoto in the distance, as well as the beautiful nature of Kyoto throughout the year (cherry blossoms in the spring, autumn leaves of maples).  The highlights of the temple precinct include Otowa Waterfall and a three-story pagoda Sanju-no-to.
The path to the temple is lined with a number of souvenir shops selling a variety of Kyoto arts and crafts including Kiyomizu-yaki (a type of traditional ceramic pottery from the Kiyomizu-dera area).

Ken-ninji Temple

This is the oldest Zen temple in Japan, founded more than 800 years ago by a Japanese Buddhist priest Eisai, who was credited with bringing the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism from China.  The temple is also famous for a gilded folding screen with the images of the wind and thunder gods (designated as a national treasure).  Currently, the visitors can view a duplicate of the gilded folding screen at the site.

Kawaramachi-dori Street

Kawaramachi area is located on the west side of Yasaka Jinja shrine and is a part of Gion Festival activities.  The street is easily accessible by Hankyu Line and Kyoto Subway Line, as well as by Keihan Main Line next to Kyoto Minami-za Kabuki Theater.
The street not only has casual restaurants, souvenir shops, and drug stores, but also department stores.

Kamogawa River Kawadoko

("Kawadoko" is an outdoor dining area on temporary platforms built over and/or beside the water.)
Kamogawa River flows from north to south in Kyoto. Each bridge across the river presents different views of the river.  In summer, restaurants with Kawadoko are lined up in a row and can be seen from Sanjo-Oohashi (Third Avenue bridge) or Shijo-Oohashi (Fourth-Avenue bridge) near the Gion Inn.  It is also enjoyable to sit and take a break at the riverbank.