Neighbourhood

Kiyamachi-dori

Kawaramachi, Kyoto

The Takase canal on Kiyamachi-dori with cherry blossoms and a replica wooden boat, Kyoto
Photo: Mariemon at jp Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

Kiyamachi-dori follows the Takase canal, which Suminokura Ryoi dug in the 1610s so flat-bottomed boats could carry freight between central Kyoto and Fushimi. The street is named for the timber merchants who set up along it, and willows now line both banks of a canal that stopped carrying boats in 1920. Mori Ogai set his story Takasebune on one of those boats.

Nearest station Kyoto-Kawaramachi (Hankyu), Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae (Tozai Line)
Cost Free
Time needed 30 min
Best time Early evening
Free

Insider tip

Start at Nijo, where the Ichinofunairi boat basin and the site of the Suminokura house are, and walk south along the water towards Shijo. Kyoto City's page on the canal also sends you to Zuisen-ji, just south of Sanjo on Kiyamachi.

Tap to open the interactive map
View on the interactive map Google Maps directions

What's on near Kiyamachi-dori

Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Kiyamachi-dori, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.

Exhibition ¥1,000 (junior and senior high school students ¥500)

Hozo-ji Hidden Cultural Properties Opening

宝蔵寺 京都非公開文化財特別公開

20 to 29 Nov Hozo-ji, Kawaramachi

Time 9:00 to 16:00 (reception hours) Station Kyoto Kawaramachi Station (Hankyu) about 7 min walk

Hozo-ji opens its main hall with Ito Jakuchu's paintings of a rooster among bamboo and of a skull, as part of the 62nd Kyoto Hidden Cultural Properties programme.

See on the map Hotels nearby
Add to calendar
Google Calendar Outlook
Official site
Food event

Kamogawa Noryo-yuka Riverside Terraces

鴨川納涼床

1 May to 15 Oct (dates to be confirmed) Riverside restaurants in Kiyamachi, Pontocho and Saiseki, Kawaramachi

Station Sanjo or Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line)

From 1 May the restaurants along the river in Kiyamachi, Pontocho and Saiseki serve on outdoor terraces looking across the Kamogawa to the Higashiyama hills, until 15 October. Some stop at the end of September, and breakfast, lunch and hours vary by restaurant.

See on the map Hotels nearby
Add to calendar
Google Calendar Outlook
Official site
The narrow Pontocho alley in Kyoto lined with restaurants and red plover lanterns Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0
Festival

Izumi Shikibu Memorial Day at Seishin-in

和泉式部忌

21 Mar Seishin-in, Kawaramachi

Time 11:00 and 14:00 Station Shijo-Kawaramachi, 8 min walk

Memorial rites for the poet Izumi Shikibu at Seishin-in on Shinkyogoku, with noh chant at 11:00, a service at 14:00 and a screen linked to her shown 10:00 to 16:00.

See on the map Hotels nearby
Add to calendar
Google Calendar Outlook
Official site
Performance ¥4,000 to ¥7,000

Kamogawa Odori

鴨川をどり

5 to 22 May (dates to be confirmed) Pontocho Kaburenjo, Kawaramachi

Time 12:30, 14:20 and 16:10 Station Sanjo (Keihan Line), 5 min walk from exit 6

Pontocho's geiko and maiko in a dance drama and then a set of pure dance, in the 1927 Pontocho Kaburenjo by the river. First staged in 1872, it's been performed more times than any other Kyoto geisha show.

See on the map Hotels nearby
Add to calendar
Google Calendar Outlook
Official site
The brick Pontocho Kaburenjo theatre seen from the Kamo River bank, its green tiled roofs above the riverside path Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0
Performance ¥¥¥

Suimei-kai Recital of Pontocho

水明会（先斗町）

15 to 20 Oct (dates to be confirmed) Pontocho Kaburenjo, Kawaramachi

Time 15:30 (doors 15:00) Station Sanjo (Keihan), 5 min walk

Pontocho's geiko recital, held since 1930 and named after the clear water of the Kamo River. Reserved seats were ¥10,000 and ¥8,000 and unreserved ones ¥5,000 in 2026.

See on the map Hotels nearby
Add to calendar
Google Calendar Outlook
Official site
The brick Pontocho Kaburenjo theatre seen from the Kamo River bank, its green tiled roofs above the riverside path Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0

Smaller local events nearby

  • bright green vol.3: a family concert and a Wakakusa Moeka concert Performance

    Sun 25 Oct · Hulic Hall Kyoto, Kawaramachi

    Two concerts at Hulic Hall Kyoto the same day, a family concert from 11:00 open to ages 0 and up, then a Wakakusa Moeka concert at 13:00.

    Part 1 ¥3,500 adult, ¥500 ages 3 to 18, under 3 free; Part 2 ¥6,500 or ¥12,000 VIP; both ¥9,000 · 11:00 and 13:00 · Map · Source: Hulic Hall Kyoto · bright green vol.3 めぐる愛 ~Love Comes Full Circle

  • Tenjin-san Day at Nishiki Tenmangu Festival

    Sun 25 Oct · Nishiki Tenmangu, Shinkyogoku

    Tenjin-san day observance at Nishiki Tenmangu, the shrine in the Shinkyogoku shopping district.

    Map · Source: Nishiki Tenmangu · 天神さんの日

See every upcoming event in Kyoto

Live music nearby

Tonight's gigs across Kyoto

Nearby

Kamo River Park · 2 min walk The Kamo River runs about 27 km through Kyoto, and between the Sanjo and Shijo bridges the low Pontocho houses on the west bank face the water. Pontocho Neighbourhood · 3 min walk Pontocho is a narrow lane about 500 m long between the Kamo River and the Takase canal, running from just south of Sanjo-dori to Shijo-dori, and it's... Pontocho Kaburenjo Landmark · 3 min walk The Pontocho Kaburenjo is the geisha district's own theatre at the Sanjo end of Pontocho, finished in 1927 and praised then as a modern building with... Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades Shopping · 3 min walk Shinkyogoku was cut through old temple grounds in 1872 and runs from Sanjo to Shijo, with Teramachi parallel one street west. Rokuyosha Coffee Cafe · 3 min walk Rokuyosha is two separate coffee rooms on Kawaramachi-dori just south of Sanjo. Kaneyo Food · 3 min walk Kaneyo has grilled eel on Rokkaku-dori, just east of Shinkyogoku, since 1912, in a building from the early Taisho years that lost its third floor to...

Around Kawaramachi

Downtown Kyoto, between Nishiki Market and the Kamo River

Kawaramachi is downtown Kyoto, the shopping streets round the Shijo-Kawaramachi crossing. The Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades run north from Shijo-dori, Nishiki Market runs west from them, and east of Kawaramachi-dori the Takase canal and Pontocho squeeze in before the Kamo River. You'll come here to eat, mostly. Some of the tea, incense and paper shops date from the Edo period.

Kawaramachi has 26 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shops, 4 cafes, 4 restaurants, 3 shrines and temples, 3 landmarks, 2 bars, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 park or garden, 1 market and 1 bathhouse. Read the Kawaramachi guide.

Good to know

How do I get to Kiyamachi-dori?
The nearest station is Kyoto-Kawaramachi (Hankyu), Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae (Tozai Line). Kiyamachi-dori is in Kawaramachi, Kyoto.
How much does Kiyamachi-dori cost?
Nothing. Kiyamachi-dori is free to visit.
How long do you need at Kiyamachi-dori?
Plan for 30 min.
When is the best time to visit Kiyamachi-dori?
Early evening.

Stay near Kiyamachi-dori

Browse live availability and compare prices around Kawaramachi.

See hotels near Kiyamachi-dori on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Kyoto earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.