When did Saryō Tsujiri in Gion, Kyoto, open?

Saryō Tsujiri opened in Gion in 1978. Its parent, Tsujiri, was founded in Uji in 1860 and opened a Gion shop in 1948. The salon takes up the second and third floors of the Gion Tsujiri building on Shijō-dōri and opens 10:30–20:30, last orders 19:30. In September 2024 its signature matcha parfait cost ¥1,694.

How do you get from Kyoto Station to Gion by bus?

The EX100 sightseeing express leaves from stop D1, outside Kyoto Station's central exit, and reaches Gion in about 15 minutes for ¥500. It has run on weekends, holidays and the Obon and New Year periods since 1 June 2024. Buses can be crowded, and the subway may be more reliable at busy times.

Cafés in Gion & Higashiyama, Kyoto: Hours and Map

Q: Can tourists walk the private alleys of Gion in Kyoto?

Not all of them. In April 2024 the Gion district put up signs in Japanese and English on several blocks of private streets, telling tourists to stay out and warning of a ¥10,000 fine. Gion's public streets remain open to visitors.

Gion grew up in the Sengoku period as an entertainment quarter in front of Yasaka Shrine, serving travelers and shrine visitors, and became one of Japan's best-known geisha districts. Gion Kōbu, the larger of its two hanamachi (geisha districts), includes Hanami-kōji; Gion Higashi split from it in 1881.¹ South of Yasaka, the stone-paved Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka lead toward Kiyomizu-dera, and in 1972 the area became Kyoto's first historic preservation district. Sannenzaka alone has about 60 shops and restaurants.²

Coffee here shares the street with tea, from matcha salons on Shijō-dōri and a 1909 mansion by Maruyama Park to small coffee rooms on the slopes below Kiyomizu-dera.

Local tip: Saryō Tsujiri opens at 10:30. The salon is on the second and third floors of the Gion Tsujiri building on Shijō-dōri, so look for the stairs, not a street-level door.

At a glance

189Cafés listed

12With opening hours

07:30Earliest opening

22:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: 喫茶喜心 kyoto, from 07:30 (Mon 07:30–13:30 · Thu–Sun 07:30–13:30).

Closes latest: 甘泉堂, until 22:00 (Mon–Sat 10:00–22:00).

Most listed streets: gionmachi minamigawa (2), Gionmachi Minamigawa (2), Kinencho (2).

Most common features: indoor seating (2%), card payment (2%), specialty (1%).

Getting to Gion and Higashiyama

Since 1 June 2024 the EX100 sightseeing express has run from stop D1, outside Kyoto Station's central exit, on weekends, holidays and the Obon and New Year breaks. It reaches Gion in about 15 minutes for ¥500 a ride; the EX101 runs only to the Kiyomizu-dera area.³

Both can be crowded, and the subway may be more reliable at busy times.³ Plan around the dances too: Gion Kōbu's geiko (Kyoto's geisha) stage the Miyako Odori through April, and Gion Higashi holds the Gion Odori in early November.¹

Tea salons on Shijō-dōri

Tsujiri was founded in Uji in 1860 by Tsuji Riemon and the second head, Tokujirō, and opened in Gion in 1948, soon after returning from Taiwan. Its tea salon, Saryō Tsujiri, grew out of a casual tasting room and opened in 1978.⁴ The salon fills the second and third floors of the Gion Tsujiri building on the south side of Shijō-dōri and opens 10:30–20:30, last orders 19:30, with irregular closing days.⁵

In September 2024 its signature matcha parfait cost ¥1,694 and a hōjicha (roasted green tea) parfait ¥1,419. At Gion Komori, a matcha bavarois parfait was ¥1,600 and shiratama anmitsu, with rice-flour dumplings, ¥1,150.⁶ Gion Kinana opens 11:00–18:30 daily.

Chōrakukan and Maruyama Park

Chōrakukan, beside Maruyama Park, was built in 1909 by the businessman Murai Kichibei and has received guests from Japan and abroad ever since; in 2024 it was designated a national Important Cultural Property. Its café serves afternoon tea among the historic furnishings.⁷ It opens daily 10:00–20:30.

Nearby, Saka Maruyama has outdoor seats and opens 11:00–19:00, closing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Ikkyū-an is on Maruyama-chō, and Hario Cafe opens daily 10:00–17:00.

Coffee on the way to Kiyomizu-dera

Kissa Kishin, below the Kiyomizu slopes, serves brunch and baked goods from 07:30 to 13:30 on Monday and from Thursday to Sunday, the earliest start in the area. Ichikawa-ya Coffee, on Shibutani-dōri west of Higashiōji, opens 09:00–18:00 except Tuesday, and Café Arrietty, on Onna-zaka, from Tuesday to Saturday, 10:30–17:30.

Gion's private alleys are a different matter. In April 2024 the district put up signs in Japanese and English on several blocks of private streets, telling tourists to keep out and warning of a ¥10,000 fine; the public streets stay open.⁸

Cafés in Gion & Higashiyama

At a glance

Café Arrietty

喫茶 喜心 kyoto

市川屋珈琲

茶菓 円山

茶寮都路里

362coffee

Acorn Coffee Stand

agnès b. Cafe Gion

Aquarium Cafe and Bar ZorA

Atlechia GION Travel&cafe

CAFE attmos.

Cafe Blue Fir Tree

Cafe Cattleya

Cafe DOnG

Cafe Forgive Me

café KARIN

cafe nido

Cafe Opal

Cafe Otowa

Cafe 富月

Canette

chaya madonna

Coffee Shop Maruyama

FUMON CHAYA

GESHARY COFFEE

Gion Cafe

Gion MAVO

gionirisersaryo

Gojo Coffee Factory

GOKAGO

Grapevine Cafe Kyoto

Hatoya Ryoyousha Kiyomizu

Here Kyoto Kiyomizu

Hi! cafe

Hisaya Kyotoshimizuzaka

Kawataro

Coffee chains in Gion & Higashiyama

Starbucks

Tully's Coffee

Colorado Coffee Shop

Maeda Coffee

Inoda Coffee

Unir

Yojiya Café

Itohkyuemon

Getting to Gion and Higashiyama

Tea salons on Shijō-dōri

Chōrakukan and Maruyama Park

Coffee on the way to Kiyomizu-dera

Sources

More of Kyoto

Kawaramachi & Teramachi

Karasuma

Okazaki & Nanzen-ji

Kyoto Station & Shichijō

Fushimi

Demachiyanagi & Kyoto University

Nishijin & Kitano

Gion & Higashiyama cafés: questions

When did Saryō Tsujiri in Gion, Kyoto, open?

How do you get from Kyoto Station to Gion by bus?

Can tourists walk the private alleys of Gion in Kyoto?

Own a café in Gion & Higashiyama?

喫茶喜心 kyoto

茶菓円山