Kyoto, Gion

One of the better known entertainment quarters in Japan, and if you are looking for geishas, this is the place. Geishas can of course be found in other cities too, but the Kyoto ones are considered more traditional and high class, and Gion is the most traditional and high class Geisha district in Kyoto. The price for a few ours entertainment used to be unimaginable even for the wealthier among us, but with the economical slump still prevailing, it now almost seems to be a bargain for only a few hundred dollars.

Gion is divided by the Shijo street in two parts. North Gion and south Gion. In the south you can find traditional looking wooden houses with bamboo blinders and red lanterns, and this is also the area where the geishas have their living quarters. Narrow streets with exclusive looking small establishments characterizes this area, and recently all the power and phone lines along the main street were hidden under the street, and the surface was covered with stones.

The north Gion is mainly karaoke bars, hostess clubs, massage parlors, yakuza, and concrete buildings. But there is an area with traditional looking establishments as well, and it is the most photographed section in the whole of Gion with cherry blossoms along a river.

Video clips

Geisha hunt in Gion
Mp4 0:26min 2.9MB