Sanjo Street

You’re now standing at the intersection of Kawaramachi Street and Sanjo Street, which runs straight across in front of you. Sanjo-dori is one of Kyoto’s main arteries, stretching nearly eleven kilometers from east to west across the city. For over a thousand years, it has linked different neighborhoods, and during the Edo period its bridge, Sanjo Ohashi, marked the official end of the great Tokaido Road connecting Kyoto to Tokyo. When Kyoto lost its status as capital in the 19th century, the city began to reinvent itself, and it was here along Sanjo-dori that modernization became especially visible. Banks, newspapers, and major companies commissioned brick and stone buildings, creating one of the finest collections of Meiji and Taisho architecture in Japan. Just ahead, the street continues as the long covered Sanjo-kai shopping arcade, one of the most lively in Kyoto. Part of our walk carries on along this stretch, where you’ll come across landmarks such as the Yabetoku Clock Store, the SACRA Building, and the Kyoto Museum.