Shinme
Kitano, Kyoto
- Mon to Sat
- 17:00 to 21:30
- Sun
- Closed
Source: shinme-kyoto.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Shinme has served drinks on Senbon-dori since 1934 and is said to be Kyoto's oldest izakaya. The fish comes from the market every day, so the menu changes daily, and the house hot sake, also called Shinme, is a blend of six sakes. The arched bridge inside dates from a 1961 renovation.
Insider tip
It's open 17:00 to 21:30 and closed on Sundays. In summer you'll find ayu and hamo on the menu, in winter nodoguro and matsuba crab.
What the guides say about Shinme
24. A small bar. Sake Bar Yoramu has eight or nine seats and pours sake by the 60 ml glass, Wednesday to Saturday from 18:00. Shinme, on Senbon-dori since 1934, is said to be Kyoto's oldest izakaya. For live music, Coffee House Jittoku has put on shows in an old sake storehouse since 1973.
Shinme on Senbon-dori has served drinks since 1934 and is said to be Kyoto's oldest izakaya. The menu changes daily with the market fish, and the house hot sake's a blend of six. It's open 17:00 to 21:30.
What's on near Shinme
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Shinme, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Okame Setsubun at Senbon Shakado
おかめ福節分会（千本釈迦堂）
Time Rites and bean throwing from about 15:00 Station Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50, 55, 203)
Setsubun at the temple of Okame, the carpenter's wife whose advice saved the main hall: a kyogen demon-chasing play in which her good fortune makes the demons bow, then bean throwing with the actors and maiko.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Kitano Odori
北野をどり
Time 14:00 and 16:30 (doors open an hour before) Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50, 51, 55, 203), 3 min walk
Kamishichiken, Kyoto's oldest geisha district, opens the spring dance season in the Kamishichiken Kaburenjo, a Japanese-style theatre that's not normally open to the public. Each show runs about 90 minutes.
mrhayata, CC BY-SA 2.0 Kamishichiken Kotobuki-kai Dance Recital
上七軒 寿会
Time 16:00 (doors 15:30) Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae or Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50), 3 min walk
Kamishichiken, which grew from seven teahouses at Kitano Tenmangu's gate, holds its annual recital at the Kaburenjo, a programme of nagauta dances by its geiko and maiko. Tickets are ¥10,000, and children under school age aren't admitted.
mrhayata, CC BY-SA 2.0 Kamishichiken Beer Garden
上七軒ビアガーデン
Time 17:30 to 22:00 Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50, 55, 203), 3 min walk
Kamishichiken, Kyoto's oldest geisha district, turns its kaburenjo theatre into a beer garden for the summer, and geiko and maiko in matching yukata come round and hand out their senjafuda name cards. The first set of draught beer and snacks was ¥2,500 in 2026, seats are in two-hour slots, nobody under 20 gets in, and it isn't open every night, so check the closed days.
mrhayata, CC BY-SA 2.0 Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado
成道会法要と大根（だいこ）焚き
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50), 3 min walk
Daikon radishes marked with Sanskrit letters are blessed, cut into rounds and simmered with fried tofu in huge pots, and a bowl is said to keep illness away. The temple holds it on 7 and 8 Dec to mark the Buddha's enlightenment.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Nearby
Around Kitano
Tenjin's head shrine, Kyoto's oldest geisha district and Daitoku-ji
Start at Kitano Tenmangu, head shrine of about 12,000 Tenjin shrines, founded in 947 for Sugawara no Michizane, the scholar students still pray to before exams. Come on the 25th, when the Tenjin-san Market fills the approach and the lanterns are lit after dark. Kamishichiken, Kyoto's oldest geisha district, lines the shrine's east approach, and Daitoku-ji's Zen temples are about 1.7 km north-east.
Kitano has 25 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 10 shrines and temples, 3 cafes, 3 shops, 2 restaurants, 2 bathhouses, 1 viewpoint, 1 neighbourhood, 1 museum, 1 bar and 1 market. Read the Kitano guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Shinme?
- 38 Tamaya-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区千本通中立売上る玉屋町38).
- What are the opening hours of Shinme?
- Mon to Sat 17:00 to 21:30; Closed Sun.
- How do I get to Shinme?
- The nearest station is Senbon-Nakadachiuri bus stop (City Bus 50, 206). Shinme is in Kitano, Kyoto.
- How much does Shinme cost?
- Shinme is mid-range, marked ¥¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Shinme?
- Plan for an evening.
- When is the best time to visit Shinme?
- Right at 17:00.
Stay near Shinme
Browse live availability and compare prices around Kitano.
See hotels near Shinme on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 17 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.