Gion Walking Tour by Night
Description
One of the most popular walking tours in Japan. As the pioneer of such walking tours, it has long been loved by people since 2007, and more than 100,000 guests have joined since then. Gion is Kyoto’s most traditional district where the culture of Kagai, the world of Maiko-san and Geiko-san is still alive. Though many tourists come to Gion, it can be difficult to grasp the magnitude and beauty of Gion completely. Your guide will explain the history of Kagai, the lives of Maiko-san and Geiko-san and even take you to the backstreets of Gion. Walk with a well-experienced knowledgeable, licensed English-speaking guide and discover the depths of the Old Capital, Kyoto.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Join one of the most popular walking tours conducted by well-educated English-speaking guides in Japan with approximately 5000 guests a year. You will start exploring the hidden street of the Geisha district during the 2-hour tour. Take a walk down the classic cobblestone streets next to the Shirakawa river, the scenery of which was featured in the novel and movie, "Memoirs of a Geisha." While you walk along this beautiful stream, the guide will also tell you the history of geisha and give you a detailed explanation in regards to their kimono, hairstyle, traditional rules and how their daily life is like. Although there is no guarantee, during the walking tour, guests will often encounter geisha walking in the streets. Get ready to learn everything there is to know about world of the maiko and geiko! You can also choose the small-grourp option as well.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not recommended for participants with serious medical conditions
- This tour has a maximum of 15 passengers per booking. If you require a booking for more than 15 passengers, please create a separate booking.
- Small-group tour option (less than 12 guests guaranteed) can be chosen for different price
- Reception starts at 5:00PM and the tour starts at 5:30PM. We can not wait or respond those who are late for the start time.
Reviews(433)
Our guide Miya was excellent! She gave us a really insightful tour of Gion and educated us on Geiko’s and Maiko’s. She took us around the district and we actually caught both Geiko/Maiko’s leaving their boarding house to attend a tea party! This was a highlight of the tour!
Mia was a fantastic guide! Her knowledge about Geisha's culture and overall Kyoto history is very impressive. We learned so much.. The best spend 2 hours in Kyoto
Excellent insight into the Geisha culture. The guide was knowledgeable and the walking pace was appropriate for the group.
Very friendly fun and considerate with us, explained everything interestingly and made us want to visit the city more for their recommendations
I was extremely lucky and was the only person on the tour tonight. My guide was fantastic - very knowledgable and made the tour so fun and interesting. Great way to explore the area.
The tour was very informative and interesting. The guide Mia was excellent. A reasonable group size made the tour better.
Perfect 2 hours with history lesson and nice alleys. We were lucky enough to see beautiful Geicos. Loved every minute.
Expert Guide, great knowledge, friendly , walked at a good pace for us & had a good sense of humour.
Great tour with excellent tour guide Mia Gave such great insight into the culture Must do on your trip to Kyoto
While Gion was gorgeous, I’d choose a different tour. The guide was young and inexperienced. She gave incorrect information regarding geishas and was unaware of some traditions (for example, she thought shrine employees taped over a wish plaque because “it was something bad” but we learned at another shrine that some people believe keeping your wish hidden made it more likely to come true).
Thank you very much for joining our tour in Kyoto and for taking the time to share your feedback. We sincerely regret that your experience did not meet your expectations, especially regarding the guidance provided. While our expert guides have more than 20 years of experience, we newly employed two young guides in their 20s and assigned them for the tour in this July after a strict training program. We could identify the guide in charge of your group thanks to your remarks saying “the guide was young” and “she” in your feedback. We take all feedback seriously, and we are currently reviewing the performance of the guide in question. As part of our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality experiences, we will be evaluating her suitability for guiding and, if necessary, providing additional training and educational support. If we find that these improvements do not bring her up to the expected standard, we will consider more serious personnel decisions to ensure that the quality of our tours remains high. Regarding the explanation given about the wish plaque (Ema) at the shrine, we appreciate your bringing this to our attention. We would like to clarify that recent reports have indicated that, in some cases, plaques are covered or hidden not because of the nature of the wishes, but rather due to concerns over personal information protection. However, we also recognize that different shrines may observe different traditions, and your interpretation about wishes being more powerful when kept secret is also a commonly held belief in Japan. We appreciate your understanding that cultural practices can be nuanced and vary by location. Once again, we thank you for your feedback. We’re committed to improving our services and ensuring that future guests have an informative, accurate, and enjoyable experience. Warm regards,
