After dinner in Kawaramachi, where do you go next? Precisely because the area offers so much, the decision can be hard to make.
Searching within Kawaramachi alone, or widening to Kiyamachi and Gion, gives you a different character of venue. Here is how to think about it, on three points: numbers, hour and distance.
Keeping it within Kawaramachi
Around Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station, from chains to owner-run places, the density is high and a large party can find seats. The great advantage is a walk of a few minutes from the dinner venue.
On Fridays and Saturdays, though, everywhere is full from around 10pm. With a large party, securing somewhere in advance beats searching on the night.
Widening to Kiyamachi and Pontocho
Kiyamachi along the Takase River and Pontocho facing the Kamo are within five minutes' walk of Kawaramachi. The price range is wide, which suits an evening built on moving between places.
The lanes are narrow, though, and do not suit a large group on the move. Up to four to six people, this is where the choice widens.
- Up to four to six: Kiyamachi and Pontocho
- Ten or more: Kawaramachi or Gion
- For a quiet conversation: Gion
Widening to Gion
Cross the Shijo Bridge and you are in Gion. Kawaramachi Station to Gion-Shijo Station is about five minutes on foot, no great burden even in the rain.
The Gion side runs mostly to calmer places, which suits business entertaining and an after-party with older colleagues in it. Venues open late are also easier to find there than on the Kawaramachi side.
The right area changes with the hour
In the 10 o'clock hour, every area has options. Past 11pm the chains in Kawaramachi start closing, and after midnight you are down to the late-opening places.
If the after-party might run long, it is safer to choose a late-opening venue from the start. Having to find a third venue at that hour leaves almost nothing to choose from.
- Until 11pm: any area works
- From 11pm: down to the late-opening places
- If it might run long, go late-opening from the start
Choose on how clear the bill is
Numbers move at an after-party, so ordering as you go makes the settlement fiddly. With free-flow drinks and a fixed price per person, both collecting and settling are simple.
If the organiser is fronting the money, check too whether cards and electronic money work and whether receipts can be split. It makes the afterwards much easier.
An after-party venue within walking distance of Kawaramachi
Gion Country Club is three minutes on foot from Gion-Shijo Station, and within walking distance of Kawaramachi Station across the Shijo Bridge. We are open from 5pm until 5am, so come to us second or third.
Simulator golf, the bar, darts and karaoke share the space, so the conversation never stalls. Plans with free-flow drinks start at ¥6,800 per person.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Kawaramachi to Gion?
About five minutes on foot from Hankyu Kyoto-Kawaramachi Station to Gion-Shijo Station: just across the Shijo Bridge.
Which area suits an after-party of ten or more?
Kawaramachi or Gion. The lanes of Kiyamachi and Pontocho are narrow and do not suit a large group on the move.
Are there after-party venues open late?
More of them are on the Gion side. Gion Country Club is open until 5am.
