Ishibe-koji
Gion, Kyoto
Ishibe-koji is a stone-paved lane south of Yasaka Shrine that winds between stone walls from Kodaiji Kitamon-dori to Shimogawara-dori. It was built as rental housing in the late Meiji and early Taisho years, and it's now part of a protected district of traditional buildings.
Insider tip
People live in the houses along it, so keep your voice down and don't block the lane for photos.
What's on near Ishibe-koji
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Ishibe-koji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Entoku-in Autumn Exhibition and Night Viewing
圓徳院特別展と夜間特別拝観
Time Night viewing 17:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:30), screens on show from 10:00 Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206)
Nene spent her last 19 years at this Kodai-ji sub-temple, and its north garden, a dry landscape later reworked by Kobori Enshu, is lit at night while the Toyotomi family's Teikan-zu screens are on show. A ¥1,200 ticket covers both Entoku-in and Kodai-ji, and it's closed on 11 and 12 Dec.
Spring Night Viewing at Kodai-ji
春の夜間特別拝観（高台寺）
Time 17:00 to 21:30 (gates close 22:00) Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206), 7 min walk
Hideyoshi's widow Nene's temple lights its garden for spring evenings: the Garyu pond and the bamboo grove past the Kasa-tei and Shigure-tei tea houses are the ones to see. You follow the same route as by day.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Autumn Night Viewing at Kodai-ji
秋の夜間特別拝観（高台寺）
Time 9:00 to 22:00, lit from 17:00 (last entry 21:30) Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206, 207)
Kodai-ji stays open after dark through the autumn season, with the grounds lit from 17:00. One ticket covers day and night, ¥800 for adults in 2026, but you can't go back in once you've left.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Ryoma Festival
龍馬祭
Time 15:30 Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 86, 206), 7 min walk
On the anniversary of Sakamoto Ryoma's death, fans gather at his grave above Higashiyama, and shamo chicken hotpot, the dish he was about to eat the night he was killed, is offered and shared with visitors. The festival is free, but the grave area costs ¥300.
Oilstreet, CC BY 2.5 Onshukai Recital of Gion Kobu
祇園甲部 温習会
Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), 8 min walk
Gion Kobu's geiko and maiko dance the Inoue-school Kyomai handed down since the Edo period, with a different programme on each of the six days.
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
- How do I get to Ishibe-koji?
- The nearest station is Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206, 207). Ishibe-koji is in Gion, Kyoto.
- How much does Ishibe-koji cost?
- Nothing. Ishibe-koji is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Ishibe-koji?
- Plan for 15 min.
- When is the best time to visit Ishibe-koji?
- Weekday mornings.
Stay near Ishibe-koji
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