Kamo River

Waterfront

Waterfront · Kyoto, Japan 35.0299°N 135.7717°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Kamo River

Time needed

About an hourLonger to walk the bank

Best time

EveningSpring and early summer

Cost

FreeOpen riverbank, no gate

Effort

Easy on footPaths run for kilometres

Season

1 May to 15 OctDining platforms built

Access

Keihan lineStations beside the river

Getting there

How to get to the Kamo River?

Keihan Main Line trains stop beside the river at Gion-Shijo, Sanjo and Demachiyanagi. Sanjo has a transfer to the Tozai Subway Line, and Demachiyanagi a transfer to the Eizan Electric Railway. From Kyoto Station, the river can also be reached by subway.

Best time

When is the best time to visit the Kamo River?

Evening is the best time to visit, and spring and early summer evenings are the liveliest of the year. The banks stay open to walkers, joggers and cyclists at any time of the day.

Kawadoko season

When are the Kamo River dining platforms open?

The Kamogawa noryo yuka season runs from 1 May to 15 October. During those months riverside restaurants serve meals on platforms built out over the water, a cool place to eat in the Kyoto summer.

Running routes

How long are the Kamo River running courses?

Kyoto's official running courses all start at Kamo Ohashi Bridge. The course to the Marutamachi area is about 2.5 km, the course to the Matsugasaki area about 4.3 km, and the course to the Nishigamo area about 9.2 km.

Stepping stones

How many stepping stones are on the Kamo River?

The Kamo Delta crossing at Demachiyanagi, north of the city centre, has 83 stepping stones. Kyoto prefecture laid them across the water when it gave the delta its current layout.

At dusk the grassy bank below Sanjo gives you an open seat by the water in the middle of Kyoto, with the restaurant lanterns of Pontocho reflected in the river.

What makes it special

The banks of the Kamo River give central Kyoto a long strip of open space beside the water. Joggers and cyclists use the paths all day, and after dark the lights of the riverside streets shine back off the surface.

In summer, restaurants on the west bank at Pontocho and Kiyamachi build kawadoko, wooden dining platforms raised out over the river.

North of the centre lies the Kamo Delta at Demachiyanagi. Its best-known sight is the line of stepping stones across the water, and some of them are shaped like turtles or birds.

Keep an eye on the sky and the shallows as you walk. Black kites circle over the river in numbers, while egrets, ducks, wagtails and the occasional heron feed close to the edge.

Visiting

Starting at Demachiyanagi in the afternoon, cross the stones at the delta first. From there the bank path runs about five kilometres south to Sanjo and Shijo, and you can join or leave it partway. Grassy banks face the water in places along the way.

Finish between Sanjo and Shijo as the light goes. Cafes line the bank near Pontocho here, and both Keihan stations come up right at the water.

Pair the evening with Gion, the district the Gion-Shijo station at the end of this route is named for.

Tips

Wear shoes with grip at Demachiyanagi, because the stones turn slippery after rain. The jump from stone to stone is scarier than it looks from the bank, so take them one at a time.

For a livelier scene at the delta, go in the late afternoon or at the weekend, when the grass there is at its busiest.

Know before you goIn bad weather the river water can rise to high levels along the bank.