Nishijin is Kyoto’s traditional textile centre, the source of all those dazzling kimono fabrics and obi (kimono sashes) that you see being paraded about town. The area is famous for Nishijin-ori (Nishijin weaving) and the main attraction is the Nishijin Textile Center. There are quite a few machiya (traditional Japanese townhouses) in this district, so it can be a good place simply to wander, particularly around Jofukuji-dōri. Be sure to stop by traditional indigo dye workshop and store, Aizen Kōbō.


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1. Nishijin Textile Center

0.24 MILES

In the heart of the Nishijin textile district, this is worth a peek before starting a walk around the area. There are displays of completed fabrics and…

2. Orinasu-kan

0.25 MILES

This atmospheric, and usually quiet, museum, housed in a Nishijin weaving factory, has impressive exhibits of Nishijin textiles.

3. Raku Museum

0.44 MILES

Hidden in a residential area in the Nishijin district, this fine museum is dedicated to the art of Raku pottery, a technique involving hand building and…

4. Kitano Tenman-gū

0.72 MILES

The most atmospheric Shintō shrine in northwest Kyoto, Kitano Tenman-gū is also the site of Tenjin-San Market, one of Kyoto’s most popular flea markets…

5. Ōbai-in

0.81 MILES

If you are lucky enough to be in Kyoto during autumn, one of the seasons this subtemple of Daitoku-ji is opened to the public, you should make an effort…

6. Ryōgen-in

0.85 MILES

Ryōgen-in is a fine subtemple in the Daitoku-ji complex. It has two pleasing gardens, one moss and one kare-sansui. The kare-sansui has an interesting…

7. Zuihō-in

0.88 MILES

A subtemple of Daitoku-ji, Zuihō-in enshrines the 16th-century Christian daimyō (domain lord) Ōtomo Sōrin. In the early 1960s, a landscape architect named…

8. Kyoto Imperial Palace

0.91 MILES

The Kyoto Imperial Palace, known as the Gosho in Japanese, is a walled complex that sits in the middle of the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park. While no longer…