Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades
Kawaramachi, Kyoto
Shinkyogoku was cut through old temple grounds in 1872 and runs from Sanjo to Shijo, with Teramachi parallel one street west. It began as a strip of theatres and variety halls, turned to cinemas, and it's still known for the souvenir shops that opened for school groups in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Seven temples and a shrine still stand along it.
Insider tip
Collect the goshuin stamps of the seven temples and one shrine along Shinkyogoku. The shopping street sells its own goshuin book. Teramachi carries on north of Sanjo towards Oike, past Smart Coffee, Kyukyodo and Honno-ji.
What the guides say about Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades
Kawaramachi is the shopping streets round the Shijo-Kawaramachi crossing, with the Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades running north, Nishiki Market running west and Pontocho squeezed in between the Takase canal and the Kamo River. You'll come here to eat, and if you sleep here you won't need a train to get back. Bar K6 on Kiyamachi pours until 2:00.
What's on near Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Pontocho Suimeikai Dance Recital
第111回 水明会
Time 15:30 (doors 15:00) Station Sanjo (Keihan), 5 min walk
Pontocho's geiko have staged this dance recital since 1930, named after the clear water of the Kamo River, with tokiwazu, kiyomoto and nagauta pieces. Reserved seats are ¥10,000 or ¥8,000 and unreserved ones ¥5,000.
Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kamogawa Odori
鴨川をどり
Time 12:30, 14:20 and 16:10 Station Sanjo (Keihan Line), 5 min walk from exit 6
Pontocho's geiko and maiko in a dance drama and then a set of pure dance, in the 1927 Pontocho Kaburenjo by the river. First staged in 1872, it's been performed more times than any other Kyoto geisha show.
Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0 Suimei-kai Recital of Pontocho
水明会（先斗町）
Time 15:30 (doors 15:00) Station Sanjo (Keihan), 5 min walk
Pontocho's geiko recital, held since 1930 and named after the clear water of the Kamo River. Reserved seats were ¥10,000 and ¥8,000 and unreserved ones ¥5,000 in 2026.
Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0 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 Medalist Exhibition
メダリスト展
Time 10:00 to 18:00, Fridays to 19:30 (last entry 30 min before) Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk from exit 5
An exhibition on Tsurumaikada's figure skating manga Medalist, with new illustrations drawn for it, famous scenes from the manga, sets that recreate its world and picks from the TV anime. It fills the museum's third and fourth floor galleries.
Photograph by Mike Peel www.mikepeel.net., CC BY-SA 4.0 Nearby
Around Kawaramachi
Downtown Kyoto, between Nishiki Market and the Kamo River
Kawaramachi is downtown Kyoto, the shopping streets round the Shijo-Kawaramachi crossing. The Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades run north from Shijo-dori, Nishiki Market runs west from them, and east of Kawaramachi-dori the Takase canal and Pontocho squeeze in before the Kamo River. You'll come here to eat, mostly. Some of the tea, incense and paper shops date from the Edo period.
Kawaramachi has 26 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shops, 4 cafes, 4 restaurants, 3 shrines and temples, 3 landmarks, 2 bars, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 park or garden, 1 market and 1 bathhouse. Read the Kawaramachi guide.
Good to know
- How do I get to Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades?
- The nearest station is Kyoto-Kawaramachi (Hankyu), Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae (Tozai Line). Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades is in Kawaramachi, Kyoto.
- How much does Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades cost?
- Nothing. Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades?
- Daytime.
Stay near Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades
Browse live availability and compare prices around Kawaramachi.
See hotels near Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades 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.