Nishiki Market錦市場
A narrow covered street of shops selling fish, pickles, rolled omelet and more. Eat at the shop front, not while walking.
- Food & markets
- Shopping & strolling
- about 60 min
- Free
- Fine on a rainy day
Subway · About 15 min from Kyoto ・ Karasuma Line to Shijo, then about 5 minutes on foot
What you can do here
Browse Kyoto's ingredients
Kyoto vegetables, freshwater fish from Lake Biwa, pike conger, tilefish, yuba, wheat gluten and more, along with whatever vegetables and fish are in season.
Eat where you bought it
Please do not eat as you walk through the market. Eat in front of, or inside, the shop where you bought the food.
Look for Jakuchu's paintings
The painter Ito Jakuchu was born into a greengrocer's family in Nishiki Market. His pictures appear on shop shutters and elsewhere around the market.
Popular and not to be missed
- "Kyoto's kitchen" for 400 years
- Its real beginning as a fish market is put at 1615. It has supplied Kyoto's food culture ever since, from formal cuisine to everyday home cooking.
- A 390-metre arcade
- The covered market runs about 390 metres east to west along a street 3.3 to 5 metres wide.
- Nishiki's well water
- Groundwater that stays at 15–18°C all year. Each shop's step-down well once served as its refrigerator for fresh food.
Good to know before you go
Kyoto guide
Japan's capital for over a thousand years, full of temples, shrines, gardens and old streets. The sights are spread widely, so combine trains and the subway with buses to get around.
Things to see 10 classics
"Classics" and "Hidden gems" are this site's editorial picks, not a measured popularity ranking.
By interest
By how you get there
By distance
- 1
Fushimi Inari Taisha
A shrine where red torii gates climb all the way up the hill. The full loop takes about 2 hours, and crowds thin out as you climb.
Many overseas visitors
3rd among places visited by foreign tourists in the 2024 survey (50.4%) Source: Kyoto City, Kyoto Tourism Comprehensive Survey 2024
- Temples, shrines & churches
- Views
- Activities
about 2 hrFree
Train · About 15 min from Kyoto ・ JR Nara Line to Inari; the shrine is right outside the station ・ 4.3km from here
- 2
Kiyomizu-dera
A wooden stage built out over a hillside, with a view across Kyoto. The sloping lanes up to it are lined with souvenir shops.
Many overseas visitors
1st among places visited by foreign tourists in the 2024 survey (67.8%) Source: Kyoto City, Kyoto Tourism Comprehensive Survey 2024
- Temples, shrines & churches
- History & buildings
- Views
about 60 minPaid entryWheelchair & stroller friendly
Bus · About 35 min from Kyoto ・ City bus to Gojozaka, then about 10 minutes uphill on foot ・ 2.2km from here
- 3
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
A pavilion covered in gold leaf, mirrored in its pond. Especially beautiful on a sunny morning.
Many overseas visitors
5th among places visited by foreign tourists in the 2024 survey (46.1%) Source: Kyoto City, Kyoto Tourism Comprehensive Survey 2024
- Temples, shrines & churches
- History & buildings
- Nature
about 45 minPaid entryWheelchair & stroller friendly
Bus · About 50 min from Kyoto ・ City bus to Kinkakuji-michi; or subway to Kitaoji and change to a bus ・ 5.0km from here
- 4
Arashiyama (Togetsukyo Bridge and Bamboo Grove)
A long bridge over the river, a path through bamboo and the garden of Tenryu-ji. Very crowded in cherry and maple seasons; go early.
- Nature
- Views
- Temples, shrines & churches
about 2 hrFreeWheelchair & stroller friendly
Train · About 30 min from Kyoto ・ JR Sagano Line to Saga-Arashiyama, then about 10 minutes on foot ・ 8.2km from here
- 5
Gion and Yasaka Shrine
Hanamikoji street with its teahouses, and a shrine lit by lanterns at night. Photography is banned on some private lanes.
Many overseas visitors
The Gion area was 4th among places visited by foreign tourists in the 2024 survey (50.0%) Source: Kyoto City, Kyoto Tourism Comprehensive Survey 2024
- History & buildings
- Temples, shrines & churches
- Night views
about 1.5 hrFree
Bus · About 25 min from Kyoto ・ City bus to Gion; also walkable from Gion-Shijo on the Keihan Line ・ 1.3km from here
- 6
Nijo Castle
The Tokugawa shoguns' castle in Kyoto. Walk through the palace to see gold-ground screen paintings and floors that chirp underfoot.
Many overseas visitors
2nd among places visited by foreign tourists in the 2024 survey (62.1%) Source: Kyoto City, Kyoto Tourism Comprehensive Survey 2024
- History & buildings
- Museums
about 1.5 hrPaid entryFine on a rainy dayWheelchair & stroller friendly
Subway · About 20 min from Kyoto ・ Karasuma Line to Karasuma-Oike, then Tozai Line to Nijojo-mae ・ 1.8km from here
Connections from here
Everything you can branch out to from here, on one map. Tap any item to open it.
Nishiki Market
Within walking distance of here
See nearby on a mapWalking times are estimates from the straight-line distance.
- Go hereNishiki Tenmangu ShrineAbout 3 min on foot
A shrine to the god of learning at the east end of Nishiki Market. Try its mechanical fortune-telling machine.
- Go hereShinkyogoku Shopping StreetAbout 6 min on foot
A covered shopping street from Shijo to Sanjo. Small temples and a shrine sit between the souvenir shops.
- Go herePontochoAbout 9 min on foot
A narrow stone lane by the Kamo River, lined with old teahouse buildings. It is at its most atmospheric after dark.
Sights are this site's picks, not a popularity ranking.
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