Do you want to visit Gion but worried about how to enjoy with your baby or young children?
Here is my guide!
Early morning is one of the best times to walk through Gion corner in Kyoto with your children and stroller, before it bustles to life with tourists and the crowds. I was walking down one of the backstreets with my kids and we were practically the only people there except for a few of the local residents who were out cleaning the front of their porch and splashing it with fresh water. So beautiful!
Morning itinerary:
- 7:00 – Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, went back to our hotel room and got ready while the kids watched Japanese TV.
- 8:30 – Toji Temple. I went there by taxi straight from my hotel with my kids. The garden around Toji Temple was stunning and afterwards my kids had a delicious ice-cream from the little shop at the entrance to the temple (and I had a cup of tea with a Japanese sweet!). See my post about Toji Temple here.
- 10:00 – Caught another taxi to Matsubarabashi Playground. This playground is located next to Gion so it was a fantastic spot for the kids to relax and play in between sightseeing. See my post about this playground here.
- 11:00 – Walk through Gion. See the video and map below!
- 12:00 – Maruyama Park. I recommend to buy a lunchbox and eat in the park.
After this, I took my kids back to the hotel to have a daytime nap, and then in the afternoon we went to the top of Kyoto Station! I recommend to check the rooftop garden here!
Make sure you watch the video below and check the map to ensure you enjoy this beautiful spot with your children!
Here are some photos:

Here we are walking through Gion! It was very easy to walk along the back streets with a stroller.

This was one of my favorite photos! I LOVED looking at all the old Japanese houses in the backstreets. SO beautiful!

Beautiful photo of a girl having her photos taken in one of the little streets.

Here is the map of how to walk from Matsubarabashi Playground, through Gion corner, to Maruyama Park.