Hararyokaku
Gion, Kyoto
- Daily
- 10:00 to 18:00
Closed 1 and 2 January.
Source: shop.hararyoukaku.co.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Hararyokaku has sold kosen, fragrant powders you sprinkle into hot water, since at least 1685, and its main shop is in Gion. Its best-known product is kuro-shichimi, a seven-spice blend of white and black sesame, chilli, sansho, aonori, poppy seeds and hemp seeds, part of it dry-roasted, then ground and kneaded until the blend turns dark brown.
Insider tip
A bag of kuro-shichimi is ¥540 and a tin ¥858. Open 10:00 to 18:00 every day except 1 and 2 January. There's no eating corner any more, since the one at the back closed in 2016.
What's on near Hararyokaku
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Hararyokaku, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Miyako Odori
都をどり
Time 12:30, 14:30 and 16:30 daily (the 12:30 show on 23 and 24 April is booked out) Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line), about 8 min walk from exit 6
Gion Kobu's geiko and maiko dance through the four seasons in one act without the curtain once coming down, with geiko singing and playing shamisen on one side of the stage and maiko on flutes and drums on the other. The ¥8,000 ticket includes tea, served from an hour before the show.
Ninja Show NARUTO at Minamiza
忍劇「NARUTO-ナルト-」
Time 19:00 on 1 and 2 February, then 15:00 and 19:00, no shows on Mondays Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan Line), right outside exit 6
A long-run Naruto ninja show with no dialogue, so you don't need any Japanese: live action, acrobatics, aerial work and projection mapping, using every bit of stage machinery in Kyoto's old kabuki theatre. It follows Naruto's boyhood story in the Hidden Leaf Village and runs from February to June.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Gion Shirakawa Cherry Blossom Light-up
祇園白川宵桜ライトアップ
Time 18:00 to 22:00 Station Gion bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
The cherries over the Shirakawa canal are lit from Kawabata-dori to Tatsumi bridge, about 220 m, with lanterns along the lane past the old teahouses.
mrhayata, CC BY-SA 2.0 Kanikakuni-sai Tea Gathering in Gion
かにかくに祭
Time 11:00 to 15:30, seatings every 30 minutes (last entry 15:00) Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), 10 min walk
Gion Kobu remembers the poet Yoshii Isamu at his stone by the Shirakawa stream, where white chrysanthemums are laid each year, and you can book a seat at the tea served by geiko and maiko. Each group gets one photo with them, and it goes ahead in rain.
mrhayata, CC BY-SA 2.0 Gion Odori
第67回 祇園をどり
Time 13:30 and 16:00, about 1 hour Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), exit 7, 5 min walk
Gion Higashi's is the only one of the geisha districts' odori dance shows held in autumn, a medley of nagauta and kiyomoto pieces that ends with the whole district on stage for Gion Higashi Kouta. Tickets are ¥6,000, or ¥7,000 with a tea ceremony seat, and children under 3 aren't admitted.
Nearby
Around Gion
The teahouse streets below Yasaka Shrine, best early or at dusk
Gion grew up as the town at the gate of Yasaka Shrine, and it's still where Kyoto's geiko and maiko live and work. Gion Kobu, the largest of the city's five geiko districts, keeps its teahouses along Hanamikoji-dori, and the Shirakawa canal runs through Gion Shinbashi to the north. Go early for the shrine and the temples behind it. Come back at dusk for the streets.
Gion has 25 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 6 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 4 neighbourhoods, 3 cafes, 2 landmarks, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 museum, 1 park or garden and 1 bathhouse. Read the Gion guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Hararyokaku?
- 267 Gionmachi Kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区祇園町北側267).
- What are the opening hours of Hararyokaku?
- Daily 10:00 to 18:00. Closed 1 and 2 January.
- How do I get to Hararyokaku?
- The nearest station is Gion-Shijo (Keihan). Hararyokaku is in Gion, Kyoto.
- How much does Hararyokaku cost?
- Hararyokaku is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Hararyokaku?
- Plan for 15 min.
- When is the best time to visit Hararyokaku?
- Any day.
Stay near Hararyokaku
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