Here are photos from today’s family from Sweden who joined our Gion Night Tour. It was a comfortably cool, overcast evening, perfect walking weather. Yasaka Pagoda looked beautiful as always. Tonight was especially quiet,… Read more: Gion Night Tour Diary 6-17-2026

When you visit Kyoto’s famous Gion district, what are you hoping to experience? Perhaps you want to see geisha, stroll through historic streets, visit beautiful temples and shrines, or capture memorable photos of traditional… Read more: Beyond Geisha: Why a Gion Walking Tour Is One of the Best Ways to Experience Kyoto

In Kyoto’s geisha districts, most women enter this world in their teens, shortly after graduating from junior high school. They spend five or six years training as maiko (apprentice geisha) before becoming geisha themselves… Read more: The Little Known World of Geisha

Gion Matsuri is Kyoto’s most famous festival and one of Japan’s three greatest traditional festivals. Organized by Yasaka Shrine, the festival has a history of more than 1,000 years and takes place throughout the… Read more: Gion Matsuri 2026: Complete Guide & Schedule

Before I begin, it may be helpful to know that a maiko is an apprentice geiko (the Kyoto term for geisha). Through years of training in traditional arts, etiquette, and hospitality, maiko work toward… Read more: The Reality Behind Kyoto’s Maiko: More Than Just a Beautiful Kimono

Yasaka Pagoda is a historic five-story pagoda in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district. Surrounded by traditional architecture and charming streets, it is one of the city’s most photographed landmarks and a symbol of Kyoto’s rich cultural… Read more: Yasaka Pagoda

Nene-no-Michi is a charming stone-paved lane in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, named after Nene, the wife of the legendary samurai leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Lined with traditional buildings, temples, gardens, and local shops, the path preserves… Read more: Nene-no Michi

Hanamikoji Street is the most famous street in Kyoto’s historic Gion district and the heart of the city’s traditional geisha culture. Lined with beautifully preserved wooden teahouses, exclusive restaurants, and elegant machiya townhouses, the… Read more: Hanamikoji Street