Minamiza
Gion, Kyoto
Source: shochiku.co.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Minamiza has stood at the east end of Shijo bridge for more than 400 years, since the days when kabuki played on the dry bed of the Kamo River. The current building, with its Momoyama-style gables, dates from 1929 and reopened in November 2018 after earthquake-proofing.
More photos of Minamiza
Insider tip
The December 2026 kabuki programme runs 1 to 24 December, at 10:30 and 16:00, with no shows on the 9th and 17th. Tickets go on sale on 9 November, and October 2026 seats ran ¥5,000 to ¥16,000. An English audio guide can be rented for some programmes, and you can eat at your seat in the intervals.
What the guides say about Minamiza
23. A show. Gion Corner puts seven traditional arts on one stage in about 50 minutes, at 18:00 and 19:00, for ¥5,500 (Tuesday to Friday only from 1 December to 11 March). Minamiza stages kabuki from 1 to 24 December in 2026.
What's on at Minamiza
Upcoming events at Minamiza and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kaomise Kabuki at Minamiza
京の年中行事 當る未歳 吉例顔見世興行 東西合同大歌舞伎
Time Matinee 10:30, evening 16:00 Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), exit 6, 1 min walk
Kyoto's December kabuki brings star actors from Tokyo and Kansai together at Minamiza, a custom from the Edo era, when each theatre showed off its new company for the year. Tickets go on sale on 9 Nov, there are no shows on 9 and 17 Dec, and a few sessions are privately booked.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 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 Miyako no Nigiwai: Five Hanamachi Joint Performance
京都五花街合同公演「都の賑い」
Time 11:00 and 14:30 Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan)
The one stage where geiko and maiko from all five Kyoto hanamachi dance together, about 70 of them, with a number by maiko from every district. Seats ran from ¥6,500 to ¥14,000 in 2026 and went on sale in April.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 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.
Kamogawa Noryo-yuka Riverside Terraces
鴨川納涼床
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.
Domenico Convertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 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 Minamiza?
- 198 Nakanocho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区四条通大和大路西入る中之町198).
- How do I get to Minamiza?
- The nearest station is Gion-Shijo (Keihan). Minamiza is in Gion, Kyoto.
- How much does Minamiza cost?
- Minamiza is at the higher end, marked ¥¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Minamiza?
- Plan for 2-3 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Minamiza?
- When a kabuki programme is on.
Stay near Minamiza
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