November 2018
Right after Nomura Tailor, we headed for Shinkyogoku & Teramachi Shopping arcades, followed by a visit to Nishiki Market and Hanamikoji street in Gion.
Parallel and side-by-side, Shinkyogoku & Teramachi shopping street makes it the heart of Kyoto’s main shopping area. These covered shopping arcades, are packed with shops and restaurants that sell day-to-day clothes & goods and draws the younger crowd from the more upscale stores of Shijo street where both the Shinkyogoku & Teramachi street starts.
OIOI Kyoto Murai department store at the intersection of Shijo main street.
Attractions we’ll be visiting. Click to enlarge.
Shinkyogoku street is a much newer, narrower and crowded street than Teramachi street, It tends to attract the younger crowds with a wide range of appealing fashion & cosmetic shops, souvenir shops, game arcades, restaurants and cinema. The products on sale here are more to the liking of the younger generation as the prices are catered for their segment.
Entrance to Shinkyogoku street from Shijo main street in the background.
A section of Shinkyogoku street. Free wi-fi available.
You’ll find fast food outlets and chain stores like Daiso here.
Street with products appealing to the teens as well as to the elders.
Nishiki-Tenmangu shrine about mid point of Shinkyogoku street sharing it’s frontage with other stores.
Lanterns at the entrance of Nishiki-Tenmangu Shrine. This frontage can also be seen from across the mid-point of Teramachi street.
Teramachi street is altogether a more refined spot, with a variety of fashion shops, bookstores, art galleries, souvenirs shops, pharmacies and tea shops which makes it popular with tourists.
One of the entrances to Teramachi.
More of local brand stores at Teramachi.
Clean and airy with a sizable crowd too.
Shoes & handbags in this section.
Mezopotamia, Halal Turkish kebab, mid-point along Teramachi street. We had kebab for lunch here.
They have Turkish ice cream too.
Nishiki Market branches off Teramachi about 100 meters north of Shijo Street, is a colorful narrow food market famous for its street food. The market is clean, and the dry walkway makes an interesting walk to explore what’s new.
One of the entrances to Nishiki Market.
Walkway inside the market.
Notice that sign. “No eating while walking”
Clamps almost as big as a child’s fist.
Skewered seafood.
¥200 at the market, ¥160 from the vending machine, cheaper still at roadside shops. This is the Coca Cola Kyoto limited edition.
After covering three attractions along Shijo street, walk or take a short bus ride to Hanamikoji street which is one of the most popular streets in the Gion district. This narrow street is made of large stone bricks instead of asphalt, indicating a departure from the main road. There are no sidewalks, thus the first time visitors would have the impression, it is a pedestrian street. However, vehicles are allowed into this street and they maneuver through the crowd of tourists, ruining what would otherwise be, a cool pleasant stroll in autumn.
Left for Hanamijoki street .
This is the reality. So be weary of traffic when taking photos or selfie.
A walk down Hanamikoji street towards Kennin-Ji temple, will transport you down history. Here you can marvel at beautifully preserved wooden buildings, quaint road signs and traditional tea houses that makes a nostalgic sight.
Along the street, the old charm is still very well preserved all these years. The fact that the establishments here are still operating, adds an extra element of thrill and a feeling of walking back into old Japan thousands of years ago.
Hanamikoji street is the end of the day’s itinerary and we again took the bus back to Kyoto station to pick-up our begs and then headed to our apartment.
