Ninen-zaka and Sannen-zaka are a pair of contiguous, pedestrian-only streets made of stone. As seen in the above photo the streets are lined with restored, traditional shops, restaurants, teahouses and a few residences - wonderful atmosphere especially without the complex electrical and telephone wires seen above most other streets in Kyoto and other cities in Japan - as seen in some of our other photos.
"Ninen-zaka" means "slope of two years" and "Sannen-zaka" means "slope of three years."
Supposedly a person will die within two years if he/she falls down on Ninen-zaka and will will die within three years if he/she falls down on Sannen-zaka. We were careful not to fall on these streets. :-)
Streets throughout Japan generally are spotless (no rubbish). There are few if any garbage receptacles on the streets. Presumably it is expected that rubbish is carried until it can be thrown away.
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