Nightlife

Kyoto After Dark

Sake bars in Gion, riverside cocktails along Pontocho, and izakaya that do not wind down until well past midnight.

Best Nightlife Areas in Kyoto

Choose by mood

Area	Best for	When to go	Getting there
Gion	Sake bars, whisky, and a quiet, traditional crowd	18:00–late	Bus/Keihan Line to Gion-Shijo
Pontocho	Riverside cocktail bars, izakaya, and bar-hopping	18:00–02:00	Bus/Hankyu Line to Kawaramachi

Bars & Clubs

3 venues

Bottles of Japanese sake lined up at a small Gion bar

Sake Bar Yoramu

A small, wood-panelled Gion sake bar with a rotating list made up entirely of Japanese sake, run by an owner happy to talk visitors through unfamiliar regional styles.

A narrow lantern-lit alley in a Japanese city at night

Kiyamachi Riverside Bar Row

The Kiyamachi canal strip running alongside Pontocho, lined with small bars and izakaya overlooking the Takase River. Expect original cocktails, cheap highballs, and a livelier, younger crowd than in the more formal Pontocho alley itself.

A dimly lit cocktail bar interior in Gion, Kyoto

Gion Aoi

A Gion cocktail bar with an unusually wide spirits selection, including rare whiskies, in a calm, low-lit room a short walk from Hanamikoji-dori.

Book an Experience

Night Out in Kyoto

Kyoto's bar scene is sprawling and ever-changing. A local guide will take you past the tourist traps and into the neighbourhoods locals actually drink in.

Kyoto Bar Crawl, from $29 Alternative Kyoto Night Tour, from $35