Pontocho is an area centred by a long narrow cobbled lane in the down town area of Kyoto. This area has many expensive restaurants and tea houses, most retaining the traditional Japanese architectural look. It's also a place where Geisha often entertain their clients, so it may be one of the best Geisha spotting sites if you go there at the right time of day. I've always had better luck around Yasaka-jinja (Yasaka Shrine) and Shirakawa-minami dori for spotting real Geisha (rather than tourists posing as Geisha).

The best time to photograph this area is in magic half hour (starts about 15 minutes after sunset). However your best chance at spotting a Geisha in this area will probably be later in the evening (depending on the season).

The southern end of Pontocho is near the Hankyu Kawaramachi Station and the Keihan Gion Shijo Station. The Northern end is near the Keihan Sanjo Station, and Sanjo-keihan Station on the subway Tozai Line. It's also possible to walk about 10mins (eastward) up Shijo-dori from Shijo Station on the subway Karasuma line to get to Pontocho.

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