Gion is Kyoto's most famous hanamachi (geisha district), occupying the streets immediately east of the Kamo River around the Shijō-dōri shopping axis. The northern half centres on the willow-lined canal of Shirakawa; the southern half centres on Hanamikōji, the lantern-lit lane lined with wooden tea houses. The district has been the home of the city's geiko and maiko tradition since the seventeenth century, and roughly two hundred women still live and train as professional entertainers in the surrounding okiya houses.
Modern Gion is in a difficult relationship with mass tourism. The smaller residential alleys have been closed off, photography of geiko is restricted on most side streets, and visitors are asked to keep noise down and not block the streets. Walked respectfully — and best at dusk, when the lanterns come on and the geiko begin moving between engagements — it is still one of the most atmospheric quarters in any Japanese city.