Ninenzaka

I visited Ninenzaka in Kyoto and really enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful historic street with traditional wooden buildings, cute shops, and amazing photo spots. It was very packed when I went, but even with the crowds, the charm of the place still comes through. A must-see if you want that classic Kyoto atmosphere!

Beautiful old city great for scenic photos. We went dressed in our kimonos and got some great photos. This is also a great place to pray at several shrines. Lots of cute shops and great souvenirs for reasonable pricing. We came during tourist off-season and we’re able to get see a lot and take photos with no issue. During busy season it may be best to pre-plan your visit.

This lovely picturesque village exudes charm and history at every nook and corner (when it is not overcrowded with tourists). If you do not mind the shops being closed, then I would suggest coming here super early at the crack of dawn. You will get the opportunity to walk down these ancient streets and marvel at the quaint buildings. We arrived at a wet morning and despite the rain, there were many people already there. However, we still enjoyed ourselves, visitng the nearby temples and musuem.

Easy walk from the bus stop, the streets are filled with very old and beautiful homes and the temple is stunning at any time of the day, you don’t need to bd early to get a great pic as the crowds often clear if you wait for a gap,

Ninenzaka — Where Time Slows and Beauty Whispers Wandering through Ninenzaka, I felt as though I had quietly slipped through the folds of time. Each stone beneath my feet seemed to echo centuries of footsteps — monks, merchants, and dreamers who once climbed this gentle slope beneath Kyoto’s eternal sky. The narrow street, lined with traditional wooden machiya houses, teahouses, and artisan boutiques, holds a quiet magic that transcends the ordinary. The scent of matcha drifts softly through the air, mingling with the faint sweetness of freshly made yatsuhashi. Every corner feels like a delicate painting — a harmony of soft lantern light, weathered wood, and the hushed rustle of passing kimonos. Even in the midst of visitors, Ninenzaka preserves a serene intimacy — an invitation to slow down, to breathe, and to simply be. The slope leads gently toward the majestic Kiyomizu-dera Temple, yet the journey itself becomes the destination. It’s a walk that awakens nostalgia, a tender reminder that beauty often hides within stillness. As raindrops touched the ancient stone path, I found myself smiling — grateful for places like Ninenzaka, where history and heart meet, and where Kyoto’s soul continues to whisper softly through every breeze.

No doubt this is an iconic place to visit in Kyoto. But it’s super crowded. I could not enjoy my walking as I need to watch my steps all the time 😅 may be it better to come there very early while some shops are closed.

One of the oldest streets in kyoto and a must visit if you are ever in the city Lots of scenic opportunities to be found Kimono rentals available Lots of shops for street foods and souvenirs Go in the early morning to avoid the crowds

Beautiful view of houses, but only if early (before 7 am) otherwise just a mass of people and more frustrating than enjoyable. Caveat is that if you want to shop and eat nothing will be open. Pick which one is more important and that will determine when you go. Didn’t waste my time on pics as we were able to stroll and just take in the view

Ninenzaka is a walking street in the Higashiyama district near the popular Kiyomizu-dera and Hōkan-ji temples. The street leads you through a variety of shops and restaurants, temples and other attractions. It's connected to the Sannenzaka walking street and the entire area is very walkable although there's a decent amount of incline and stairs. Both streets are preserved historical areas and most of the buildings are traditional wooden structures. It's mostly a walking street except occasionally you'll see some tour buses coming through. You will often see people in kimonos or yukatas walking through the streets for photoshoots. I highly recommend coming early to avoid the crowds but there will always be people here so you'll just have to get used to that.

Yelp Review 2025 #40: If you're visiting Kiyomizu-dera, you must check out Ninenzaka. Ninenzaka is a 492ft long path in Kyoto lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants. It is at the end of Sannenzaka, another path. You'll see traditional Kyoto-style architecture. The unique Starbucks with tatami rooms is in Ninenzaka. There's a candy Apple Store, a dango store, tea ceremony, souvenir shops, coffee shop, ice cream shop, a Studio Ghibli shop, Peter Rabbit Cafe, etc. From Sannenzaka, there are stairs to get down to Ninenzaka. These 2 roads are connected. Ninenzaka means "two-year hill". Two in Japanese is "ni". It is said that if you fall here, you'll die in two years. So, make sure you watch your step.

I will reiterate how I felt about Sannen-zaka...I just really just wanted to see what all the hype was about. As the entire area was packed we nearly missed them, but luckily I spotted a sign and down we went to Sannen and on to Ninen-zaka. While there wasn't anything out of this world, both streets were sweet....although for me the tree gave Sannen a bit of an edge. When we visited they were both crowded enough that we did nothing more than venture down slowly and snap a few pics. Definitely sweet enough to see for yourself.

i think i lov kyoto the most... so many things to do and explore here! wish i could come during the day or even sunset but even at nighttime it was so peaceful and warm despite the light rain. so much deep and rich history in modern times, lovely atmosphere ahhh

exploring the famous spots we see on social media was such an experience ! from tokyo to osaka to kyoto, kyoto really moved away from the city life. we came around 8-9 AM in the morning after a long hike there. i would say to be careful of the mosquitos! we got bit a few times! because we tried to beat the crowd though, a lot of stores were not open. there was quite a good amount of other individuals there when we got there, but i can see it become more lively during the day. would definitely come again!

Definitely recommend visiting Ninenzaka and Sannen-zaka while in Kyoto. These are two connected streets that are very charming with old-town designs. Besides enjoying the architecture, there are lots of souvenir stores and snack shops to stop at. It does get very crowded, so I recommend visiting early or on a rainy day.

The stone road to walk along, which makes you feel relaxed and peaceful.

Crowded af. The old street is hard to enjoy when it's so busy with a ton of people around. It's nice to look at and a great area to pass through after visiting Kiyomizudera Temple but I think if you want to look at old Japanese homes, the ones on the way to Otagi Nenbutsu-ji in Arashiyama are better. Walking through Sannenzaka made us want to run from it because it was just toooo many people. It was cool to get to see it but we definitely didn't want to stay for too long.

Wander, people-watch, shop, and eat between temple hopping! I like to wander...a lot...hence, I'm full of wanderlust. :) One of my favorite ways to explore a new area is to just kind of "get lost". The first time we visited Kyoto, we wandered from Kiyomizudera and got lost in these narrow pedestrian-only, historical streets nearby. It was so memorable that I knew I wanted to go back. So, on this visit, we navigated our friends to these 2 streets, Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka. They connect with each other and run between the Kodai-ji and Kiyomizudera Temples. Both streets are full of foot traffic, local vendors, chirimen shops, pickle shops, street food, and so much more. We saw several locals (and tourists) dressed in kimonos or yukatas. It's fun to wander, people-watch, shop, eat, and get lost here. It's not hard to find your way again, just ask someone to point you in the direction of either temple you want to visit. We successfully did most of our souvenir shopping here and tried a number of Kyoto sweets!