Shopping · Kyoto · Japan
Shopping in Kyoto
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Kyoto is the place to buy traditional crafts: tea, ceramics, textiles, fans, incense and knives, alongside downtown department stores and the covered arcades of Teramachi and Shinkyogoku. Best souvenirs: Matcha and Uji tea, Kiyomizu-yaki ceramics and Folding fans and incense.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 4
- Markets
- 3
- Top souvenir
- Matcha and Uji tea
Where to shop
Teramachi and Shinkyogoku arcades
Covered shopping streets downtown mixing souvenirs, tea, stationery and fashion.
Shijo-dori
Takashimaya and Daimaru department stores with large food halls of Kyoto sweets.
Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka
Stone lanes below Kiyomizu-dera lined with pottery, sweet and craft shops.
Kyoto Station
Isetan department store and underground malls with gift shops for last-minute souvenirs.
Markets
Nishiki Market
Kyoto's covered food market for pickles, tea, knives and kitchenware.
Kobo-san Market at To-ji
A monthly flea market of antiques, kimono, ceramics and food on the 21st.
Tenjin-san Market at Kitano Tenmangu
A monthly flea market on the 25th with vintage kimono, crafts and street food.
What to buy
Matcha and Uji tea
Tins of matcha, sencha and hojicha from long-established Kyoto and Uji tea merchants.
Kiyomizu-yaki ceramics
Hand-made bowls and cups from the pottery shops on the slopes below Kiyomizu-dera.
Folding fans and incense
Sensu fans and Kyoto incense from specialist shops downtown.
Kitchen knives
Hand-forged knives from knife makers in and around Nishiki Market, often engraved with your name.
Yatsuhashi and wagashi
Boxed sweets from confectioners near Kyoto Station and Kiyomizu-dera.
Furoshiki and textiles
Wrapping cloths, tenugui towels and Nishijin silk items.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Street · Northern Higashiyama
Philosopher's Path and Ginkaku-ji
This 2 km canal-side stone path runs between Ginkaku-ji (the Silver Pavilion, never actually silvered) and the Nanzen-ji area, passing small temples such as Honen-in.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- History
Market · Downtown Kawaramachi
Nishiki Market
A five-block covered street known as 'Kyoto's kitchen', Nishiki has more than a hundred stalls selling pickles, tofu, dashi rolled omelettes, fresh seafood, wagashi and knives.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Rainy day
- Shopping
- Iconic
Religious site · Kyoto Station area
To-ji
Founded in 796, To-ji has Japan's tallest wooden pagoda at about 55 metres and a lecture hall of Buddhist statues arranged as a three-dimensional mandala.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Shopping
- Photo spot
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Matcha and Uji tea, Wagashi, Tsukemono and Yatsuhashi. Tea houses in Gion, Higashiyama and Uji; long-established tea merchants on Shijo and in Uji. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Station area | $$ | Transport hub with big hotels, Kyoto Tower and department stores |
| Downtown Kawaramachi | $$$ | Covered arcades, Nishiki Market and the Kamo River bars of Pontocho |
| Gion and Higashiyama | $$$$ | Teahouses, wooden machiya, temples and stone-paved slopes |
| Arashiyama | $$$ | Riverside hills, bamboo grove, Tenryu-ji and onsen ryokan |
| Nishijin and Kitano | $$ | Weaving workshops, machiya streets and the shrine-temple belt of the north-west |
| Fushimi | $$ | Sake breweries, canal boats and the foot of Fushimi Inari |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in JPY. Tipping is not practised in Japan and can cause embarrassment. Ryokan sometimes receive a small gift in an envelope, but it is never expected.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in January–February; the busiest months are April and November.
- January: Toka Ebisu festival at Ebisu Shrine near Gion (around 8–12 January)
- July: Gion Matsuri — month-long festival with float processions (17 and 24 July) and yoiyama street nights before them
- October: Kurama Fire Festival in Kurama village (22 October)
Staying near the shops
$$$ · Best for first-timers, food lovers, nightlife and shopping
Downtown Kawaramachi
Covered arcades, Nishiki Market and the Kamo River bars of Pontocho
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Kyoto?
Matcha and Uji tea, Kiyomizu-yaki ceramics, Folding fans and incense and Kitchen knives.
+Where is the best shopping in Kyoto?
Teramachi and Shinkyogoku arcades: Covered shopping streets downtown mixing souvenirs, tea, stationery and fashion.
+What are the best markets in Kyoto?
Nishiki Market, Kobo-san Market at To-ji and Tenjin-san Market at Kitano Tenmangu.