Thanks for booking a Private Gion Night Walk with us!
We are looking forward to taking you on a Private Gion Night tour soon.
On this tour, you will get the chance to see some of the beautiful streets of Gion as the nightfall begins and the lanterns start to flicker on. As we walk through the geisha districts we might even see some of them in full makeup rushing off to an appointment. We make a night visit to a couple of shrines and temple grounds and see the beautiful Yasaka pagoda all lit up. Along the way, you have the chance to talk with your guide about the unique world of the geisha and see some beautiful sights. We can also introduce you to the world of zen and shinto. You can ask any questions you like along the way too.
After strolling the beautiful streets we make our way to the area of Gion and/or Pontocho where there are hundreds of restaurants to choose from. We can pre-book a restaurant for you based on the answers to the questionnaire below. If you like you can invite your guide to join you, or we can drop you off for a late dinner and let you enjoy the meal by yourselves. Just let us know what works best for you. Note that the cost of dinner and drinks are not built into the cost of the tour so you really can choose from a wide range of places for any budget big or small.
The walking tour is roughly 2hrs in length and about 4km of walking. With a 5:30pm start we can have you sitting down to a meal at around 7:30pm.
Options for meals are listed below by category rather with examples of specific restaurant. Since we are unsure which places will still have availability, we will suggest other options based on your initial selection. If you already have a particular place in mind or wish to research places yourself by all means let us know and we can try to book it for you. We also welcome you to use your hotel concierge as a resource and just ask that you book no earlier than 7:30pm so that we have time for the walking tour. Also note that inviting your guide to join for dinner is optional but we would ask you to cover the full bill when you invite your guide to join.
Options for dinner:
Izakaya style "tapas" bar
This is the most popular option as you can share a variety of fresh dishes from tempura, to sashimi and grilled meats. There are usually lots of vegetarian options too. The usual way to eat is to order many small dishes and share. You can choose from a super local style place with seating on the tatami floor, to quite upscale options with lots in between too.
Teppanyaki and Wagyu Beef
If wanting to treat yourself to a special beef dinner where better than in one of the nice teppanyaki restaurants in Kyoto. Again there is a range of teppanyaki from casual to very upscale too. Enjoy fine cuts of meat and seafood with a top chef preparing the meal just for you.
Tempura
For those who love tempura, to get the truly high quality batter and freshest ingredients it is best to go to a place that specializes in just that one dish. There are lots of options for this as well but not so many in the super casual category.
Ramen
We know some of the top ramen places in Kyoto that we will happily introduce you to. Since it is a quick meal too, we can also bring you a bit off the grid to find that special bowl of noodles.
Sushi
Although Kyoto is less know for it's sushi being a bit far from the sea, modern shipping techniques mean we can get just as fresh of sushi as Tokyo or Osaka. Again we can introduce you to a range of options from the super cheap to the top in class.
Tofu Specialty
Being a city of Zen, we also have lots of buddhist inspired restaurants that specialize in tofu and vegetarian food. Often these restaurants are in traditional "machiya" houses or even sometimes in temples themselves,
Japanese inspired Italian and French
While it may seem strange to want to eat anything other than Japanese food in Japan, the locals make some fantastic French and Italian food with a local twist too. Sometimes a nice break from traditional foods too if you are a ways into your trip
Kaiseki
Evolved from the tea ceremony, the kaiseki dining is the ultimate in traditional dining. It is pricey and not altogether filling but it is a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach. Note that they usually only offer course menus with the freshest ingredients meaning what you receive could be a bit of a surprise so it's definitely for the more adventurous.
Here is a link to our sister company Kyoto VIP with some examples of each cuisine. Note that cancellation policies can be strict for high end dining.
https://www.kyotovip.com/recommended-restaurants.html
On this tour, you will get the chance to see some of the beautiful streets of Gion as the nightfall begins and the lanterns start to flicker on. As we walk through the geisha districts we might even see some of them in full makeup rushing off to an appointment. We make a night visit to a couple of shrines and temple grounds and see the beautiful Yasaka pagoda all lit up. Along the way, you have the chance to talk with your guide about the unique world of the geisha and see some beautiful sights. We can also introduce you to the world of zen and shinto. You can ask any questions you like along the way too.
After strolling the beautiful streets we make our way to the area of Gion and/or Pontocho where there are hundreds of restaurants to choose from. We can pre-book a restaurant for you based on the answers to the questionnaire below. If you like you can invite your guide to join you, or we can drop you off for a late dinner and let you enjoy the meal by yourselves. Just let us know what works best for you. Note that the cost of dinner and drinks are not built into the cost of the tour so you really can choose from a wide range of places for any budget big or small.
The walking tour is roughly 2hrs in length and about 4km of walking. With a 5:30pm start we can have you sitting down to a meal at around 7:30pm.
Options for meals are listed below by category rather with examples of specific restaurant. Since we are unsure which places will still have availability, we will suggest other options based on your initial selection. If you already have a particular place in mind or wish to research places yourself by all means let us know and we can try to book it for you. We also welcome you to use your hotel concierge as a resource and just ask that you book no earlier than 7:30pm so that we have time for the walking tour. Also note that inviting your guide to join for dinner is optional but we would ask you to cover the full bill when you invite your guide to join.
Options for dinner:
Izakaya style "tapas" bar
This is the most popular option as you can share a variety of fresh dishes from tempura, to sashimi and grilled meats. There are usually lots of vegetarian options too. The usual way to eat is to order many small dishes and share. You can choose from a super local style place with seating on the tatami floor, to quite upscale options with lots in between too.
Teppanyaki and Wagyu Beef
If wanting to treat yourself to a special beef dinner where better than in one of the nice teppanyaki restaurants in Kyoto. Again there is a range of teppanyaki from casual to very upscale too. Enjoy fine cuts of meat and seafood with a top chef preparing the meal just for you.
Tempura
For those who love tempura, to get the truly high quality batter and freshest ingredients it is best to go to a place that specializes in just that one dish. There are lots of options for this as well but not so many in the super casual category.
Ramen
We know some of the top ramen places in Kyoto that we will happily introduce you to. Since it is a quick meal too, we can also bring you a bit off the grid to find that special bowl of noodles.
Sushi
Although Kyoto is less know for it's sushi being a bit far from the sea, modern shipping techniques mean we can get just as fresh of sushi as Tokyo or Osaka. Again we can introduce you to a range of options from the super cheap to the top in class.
Tofu Specialty
Being a city of Zen, we also have lots of buddhist inspired restaurants that specialize in tofu and vegetarian food. Often these restaurants are in traditional "machiya" houses or even sometimes in temples themselves,
Japanese inspired Italian and French
While it may seem strange to want to eat anything other than Japanese food in Japan, the locals make some fantastic French and Italian food with a local twist too. Sometimes a nice break from traditional foods too if you are a ways into your trip
Kaiseki
Evolved from the tea ceremony, the kaiseki dining is the ultimate in traditional dining. It is pricey and not altogether filling but it is a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach. Note that they usually only offer course menus with the freshest ingredients meaning what you receive could be a bit of a surprise so it's definitely for the more adventurous.
Here is a link to our sister company Kyoto VIP with some examples of each cuisine. Note that cancellation policies can be strict for high end dining.
https://www.kyotovip.com/recommended-restaurants.html