Teramachi Street

Under the covered arcade of Teramachi Street, right in the heart of Kyoto, you’re walking along a lively shopping street—but its story goes much further back. The name Teramachi means “Temple Town,” and at the end of the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered nearly eighty temples to be relocated here to better organize the religious life of the capital. Over time, especially from the Meiji era onward, shops began to fill the spaces between these sacred sites, gradually turning the street into a busy commercial avenue while still preserving echoes of its past. The atmosphere here feels calmer and a little more refined than neighboring Shinkyogoku, with a mix of long-standing traditional stores and modern brands. You’ll come across places like Ippodo, the well-known tea house founded in 1717, and Zohiko, which has specialized in Japanese lacquerware since the 17th century. In between the storefronts, you might notice shops selling incense and Buddhist items, and almost tucked away between the buildings stands Nishiki Tenman-gū Shrine, dedicated to scholarship and learning. As you stroll along Teramachi, you’re moving through a space where Kyoto’s spiritual heritage and everyday city life continue to exist side by side.