Shinkyogoku 新京極
- Published on : 14/12/2012
- by : R.Z.
- Youtube
Explanatory Shinkyogoku displayed in the street.
DR
Schoolgirls landmark
The quintessential street filled with souvenir shops, the best buys aren't in Shinkyogoku, but it's where all the country's middle and high school students visit on a school trip to Kyoto.
A must for Japanese teenagers for generations, parallel to the other famous artery, Teramachi, Shinkyogoku stretches mainly between Shijo and Sanjo streets. Traced at the very beginning of the Meiji era in 1872, it still performs the same function as at its origin; a lively place of gathering.
And yes, there are still a few temples, installed before the colorful and noisy shops. The mix of genres may surprise, but this is just one example of Japanese “paradoxes” or the absence of dogma in religion, a common theme here.
Favor weekdays, Saturday and Sunday afternoons attracting crowds. On rainy days, Shinkyogoku turns into a dry refuge for compulsive shoppers!
Address, timetable & access
Address
Timetable
10 min walk to Kawaramachi subway station.Website
http://www.shinkyogoku.or.jp/foreign/english.html
