Spending an evening in Gion, the thing that is surprisingly hard to read is how late anything is open. Gion the sightseeing district and Gion the dining district run on different clocks.
Here is what you can do in each stretch of the evening, from seven o'clock to the first train. Use it as a guide when you plan.
7pm–9pm | the widest choice of the evening
Most restaurants are open, and you can choose freely, food and drink alike. The streets of Hanamikoji are at their finest just after sunset, which makes this a good stretch for a walk before or after dinner.
Settle the first venue in these hours and what follows has room to breathe. Start looking for somewhere after nine, and the choice narrows sharply.
10pm–11pm | last orders converge
Most restaurants reach last orders in this stretch. At a place closing at 11pm, the last chance to order is really in the 10 o'clock hour.
Moving to a second venue naturally happens here. Gion to Kawaramachi or Kiyamachi is walkable, so ten minutes for the journey is enough.
- Work to last orders, not closing time
- Start moving to the second venue in the 10 o'clock hour
- Have the next place secured within walking distance
11pm–midnight | the open venues thin out
Past 11pm, what remains open is mainly the late-opening bars and lounges. A sign may be dark while the place is still serving, which is what makes Gion hard to judge from outside.
To be sure of getting in at this hour, look the opening times up and book. Setting out to find somewhere on foot means more wasted journeys.
Midnight onwards | the last train, and what lies beyond it
At both Keihan Gion-Shijo and Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi, the last trains run around midnight. To go home, you have to leave counting back from that.
Miss it and there are two choices: stay until the first train, or take a taxi. From Gion-Shijo into the city centre a taxi is easy to find, and the venues that will hold you until morning are few but real.
- Last trains around midnight (varies by line)
- Miss it and the first train is about five hours away
- Taxis are easy to hail along Shijo-dori
Telling which places you can enter late
Looking for a late-opening venue, read the end of the opening hours. Written as 2am or 5am, past midnight, is the sign.
Some places also do not take guests without an introduction at that hour. Whether the pricing is stated, and whether you can phone to check a free seat for the same night, are good tests of how easy it is to walk in.
A Gion option open until 5am
Gion Country Club is an indoor golf and bar lounge three minutes on foot from Gion-Shijo Station, open from 5pm until 5am. Use us as the first venue of the evening, or for the hours after the last train.
Simulator golf, the bar, darts and karaoke are all here, so even a long stretch of the night does not drag. We are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Frequently asked questions
How late do restaurants in Gion stay open?
Most close around 11pm. Last orders are often in the 10 o'clock hour, so plan backwards from there.
When is the last train from Gion-Shijo Station?
It varies by line and destination, but around midnight. Check the exact time for your date in advance.
What do we do if we miss the last train?
Either spend the hours at a venue open until the first train, or take a taxi. Gion Country Club is open until 5am.
