Neighbourhood · Kyoto
Shijo-Karasuma and Karasuma-Oike: what to see and do
四条烏丸・烏丸御池
Kyoto's business district along Karasuma-dori between Shijo and Oike, with the subway and Hankyu lines underneath. It suits first-time visitors and budget travellers who want a central base with direct subway access to Kyoto Station and Nijo Castle.
8 places Shijo, 5 min walkKarasuma, 5 min walk 12 min to Kyoto Station
Base map unavailable: areas, places and hotel search still work.
Sights
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Museum
Kyoto International Manga Museum 京都国際マンガミュージアム
Opened in 2006 in a former elementary school, the museum's walls are lined with shelves of manga that visitors can take down and read.
Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 2 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h 30 min
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Temple
Rokkaku-do (Choho-ji) 六角堂
A small Tendai temple in the business district named after its hexagonal main hall.
Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 5 min walk · Free entry · 15 min
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Museum
Museum of Kyoto 京都文化博物館
A museum of Kyoto's history and culture at the corner of Sanjo and Takakura streets, with a permanent exhibition and changing special exhibitions.
Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk · Paid entry · 1 h
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Street
Sanjo-dori (Karasuma to Teramachi) 三条通
The stretch of Sanjo-dori between Karasuma and Teramachi keeps several Western-style buildings from the Meiji to early Showa periods among its shops, including the 1903 former Bank of Japan branch (now the Museum of Kyoto annex), the 1902 Nakagyo Post Office and the 1928 Building.
Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 12 min walk · Free entry · 40 min
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Museum
Kyoto Art Center 京都芸術センター
A public arts centre in the 1931 building of the former Meirin Elementary School, which opened in 1869 and closed in 1993.
Shijo (Karasuma Line), 6 min walk · Free entry · 40 min
Food, drink and markets
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Cafe
Inoda Coffee (main shop) イノダコーヒ 本店
The main shop of a Kyoto coffee company founded in 1940 as a coffee bean business, on Sakaimachi-dori just south of Sanjo.
Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 8 min walk · Free entry · 45 min
Shopping
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Shopping
Daimaru Kyoto 大丸京都店
A department store on Shijo-dori at the Karasuma crossing, with food halls on its basement floors selling Kyoto sweets, pickles, bento and prepared dishes, and restaurants on the top floor.
Karasuma (Hankyu Kyoto Line), 1 min walk · Free entry · 1 h
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Shopping
Shinpuhkan 新風館
A shopping complex built around the 1926 former Kyoto Central Telephone Office, designed by Yoshida Tetsuro, with a new wing supervised by Kengo Kuma.
Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 1 min walk · Free entry · 45 min
Getting there
- Shijo (Karasuma Line), 5 min walk
- Karasuma (Hankyu Kyoto Line), 5 min walk
- Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 10 min walk
- Kyoto Station
- 12 min
- Shijo-Kawaramachi crossing
- 12 min
- Yasaka Shrine (Gion)
- 20 min
Travel time (public transport)
For visitors
- Karasuma Line to Kyoto Station in a few minutes and the Tozai Line to Nijo Castle and Higashiyama
- Hankyu trains to Osaka and Arashiyama from Karasuma Station
- Nishiki Market and the downtown arcades are within walking distance
- Many mid-range hotels, so prices are often lower than in Gion or Higashiyama
- Office buildings on the main avenues give it less traditional character
- Gion and the Higashiyama temples are a 20 to 30-minute walk or a transfer away
Nearby areas
Sources · Verified 24 September 2026