Kyoto Shopper’s Itinerary

If you like shopping, you’ll love Kyoto. It’s the best place in Japan to find traditional Japanese arts and crafts, and there are plenty of contemporary goods as well. This is a collection of the best shops and markets in the city.

Rather than giving a specific route and transport details, we have grouped the shops by area and the markets by date, so you can work them into your itinerary as you wish.

Shops

Downtown

• Nishiki Market: This is Kyoto’s finest food market, hands down. These days it’s really swamped with tourists, so try to go early in the day or late in the afternoon.
• Aritsugu: Located at the east end of Nishiki Market (above), this is Kyoto’s finest knife shop.
• Daimaru Depachika: The basement food floor of this department store is like Aladdin’s Cave.
• Morita Washi: This brilliant shop is best place on earth to see Japanese handmade paper (washi).
• Maruzen: This is best bookstore in Kyoto, with a good selection of English-language books and lots of other stuff on offer.

Top Activities In Kyoto

Kimono Rental
In KyotoRent a kimono and
hire a photographer
for the afternoonMore Info

Kosei-ji Temple
Zen MeditationExperience zazen
(seated Zen meditation)
at a Kyoto templeMore Info

Kyoto Tea
CeremonyThe home of the tea
ceremony remains the
best place to try itMore Info

Fushimi-Inari
HikeHike to the summit
of Mount Inari-san and
visit the shrinesMore Info

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Destination

Check-in date

Check-out date

North of Downtown

• Zohiko: This is our favorite lacquerware shop in Kyoto. It’s very close to the following tea shop.
• Ippodo: If you like green tea, you must make a pilgrimage to this atmospheric old shop.

Markets

• 15th of Every Month: Chion-ji Temple Market: Known in Japanese as the Tezukuri-ichi (handmade market), this is a great place to find handmade crafts, some local organic food and some interesting people. It’s held at Chion-ji Temple, which is just east of the Imadegawa-Higashioji intersection.
• 21st of Every Month: Kobo-san Market: With a great selection of antiques, bric-a-brac, old kimono and curiosities, this market is a must-see if you’re in town on the 21st. It’s held at To-ji Temple.
• 25th of Every Month: Tenjin-san Market: Old kimono, bric-a-brac and antiques are among the many offerings at this fine flea market. If you’re in town on the 25th, don’t miss it. It’s held at Kitano-Tenman-gu Shrine.

For more ideas, check out our Kyoto Shopping page, our Best Kyoto Souvenirs page, and our Kyoto Arts and Antiques page.

Kyoto District Map

• Arashiyama
• Central Kyoto
• Northwest Kyoto
• Nishijin
• Northern Higashiyama
• Southern Higashiyama
• Downtown Kyoto
• Kyoto Station Area
• South East Kyoto

About InsideKyoto.com and Chris Rowthorn

• Chris Rowthorn is the co-founder of InsideKyoto.com and has an unparalleled travel knowledge of Kyoto spanning three decades. Chris has written or commissioned and edited every page on the Inside Kyoto website.
• A former author of Lonely Planet Kyoto and Lonely Planet Japan guidebooks, Chris is also the director of the Kyoto walking tour company Chris Rowthorn Tours, and Japan Travel Consulting, where you can get bespoke travel advice for your Japan trip.
• InsideKyoto.com has been cited by the New York Times and The Times of London, among many other publications and websites.