Kiyomizu-zaka & Chawan-zaka: Two Streets to Kiyomizu-dera

I kept finding small reasons to stop on the way to Kiyomizu-dera. There was a plant beside a wooden doorway, a neat row of pottery inside a shop, and a tiled roof above a quiet stretch of road. It was September in Kyoto, still a little hot, but comfortable enough to enjoy being outside. I had chosen Chawan-zaka for the walk uphill, and I was happy to take my time.

A quiet corner at the entrance to Chawan-zaka, where wooden buildings and carefully tended plants made me slow down.

Chawan-zaka and nearby Kiyomizu-zaka both lead towards Kiyomizu-dera, also known as Kiyomizu Temple, in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district. I photographed both streets during my visit. One was quiet, with fewer visitors and plenty of small details to notice. The other was busy with shops, colourful sweets and people looking around. I enjoyed how different they felt, even though they were so close to each other.

Blue skies, low buildings and a quiet stretch of road on my September walk towards Kiyomizu-dera

Small shops and plants beside the road gave me another reason to pause on the walk to Kiyomizu-dera.

Chawan-zaka, where I wanted to take my time

On Chawan-zaka, the low buildings made it easy to see the roofs, the sky and the trees around them. Traditional wooden houses stood beside small shops, and plants filled little spaces near the entrances. Everything looked clean and carefully kept. There was a simple beauty to the street that made me want to look more closely.

Along Chawan-zaka, I had time to enjoy the simple details of doors, windows and plants.

The curved roof, wooden doors and white lantern made this small building worth a closer look.

I was especially drawn to the plants. Some stood in pots beside a wall, while others grew close to a wooden doorway. They did not need much space to make an entrance look welcoming. The care given to them was easy to see, and I liked how naturally they fitted beside the buildings. A few leaves and a simple pot could change the feeling of a whole corner.

A colourful snack display brought a little extra fun to the walk.

The shop displays had the same attention to detail. Pottery was arranged so that I could see individual pieces, their shapes and colours. The spaces were small, but they felt thoughtfully used. I found myself admiring the arrangement as much as the objects. There was something very pleasing about seeing ordinary things given this much care.

Two giant ice cream cones made this small shop easy to notice.

As I walked, I kept wondering how life here could seem so peaceful. From the street, the quiet doors and neat buildings gave me a sense of a private world beyond them. I could only see a small part of it, but I liked that feeling. The houses seemed to leave room for people to keep their daily lives to themselves.

The faded sign and goods arranged beneath the awning made me want to look closer.

Walking among wooden buildings, with green hills in the distance, was a pleasure in itself.

With fewer tourists around, I had time to notice these things. My eyes moved from the wooden fronts to the plants below, then up towards the roofs. I took photographs because I wanted to remember how everything looked together. The buildings, trees and small displays made the street feel calm without making it feel empty.

Each bowl had room to be noticed in this neatly arranged pottery shop.

Menu pictures, bottles and little pots of flowers filled this cheerful shopfront.

Even before I reached the temple, I felt some of the stillness I had hoped to find there. Chawan-zaka gave me a gentle way to approach it. At the top, steps led into the temple grounds, but the road itself had already left an impression. I remember the pleasure of walking slowly, with another small detail to enjoy every few steps.

This wooden building, framed by green trees, was one of my favourite sights along the quieter road.

A little greenery beside a wooden entrance showed how much beauty could fit into a small space.

Warm light and carefully spaced displays gave this pottery shop a calm, welcoming feel.

I liked how the tree brought shade and colour to the simple shopfront below.

At the top of Chawan-zaka, stone steps and green trees marked the last part of my walk to the temple.

Kiyomizu-zaka, full of colour and small pleasures

Kiyomizu-zaka had a livelier atmosphere. There were many more visitors, and the shops offered something different wherever I looked. Sweets, snacks, souvenirs and traditional goods filled the displays. Shelves of toy figures added even more colour. I enjoyed this change of scene and the cheerful feeling of a street where so much was happening.

Looking down this narrow stairway, I loved how closely the little buildings fitted together.

A blue curtain, a small bamboo fence and a few plants made this entrance feel welcoming.

Some displays made me stop simply because they were so attractive. Colourful sweets sat in clear containers, grouped together in baskets. Small gifts filled the shelves, and food displays stood beside shop entrances. Even when there were many items in a small space, someone had taken care with how they looked. I wanted time to take in the details before moving to the next window.

There was plenty to look at outside this little noodle shop, from hanging signs to colourful menus.

Looking at these shops, I felt a growing appreciation for the people behind them. Arranging a display takes time, and here that effort was visible. It made me think about how an interest in beauty can become part of everyday work. For me, these small arrangements were one way to feel closer to the local culture, through things I could see and enjoy for myself.

The carefully arranged food models were another small detail I enjoyed along the street.

The mix of shops also made the walk feel easy and fun. My attention could move from traditional goods to toy figures, then to a display of sweets. There was no need to spend the same amount of time at each one. I could simply follow whatever caught my eye and enjoy the variety along the street.

Beneath the green branches, Kiyomizu-zaka felt lively and welcoming on a warm September day.

My ice cream photographs bring back that light, happy mood. One shows a swirl of ice cream against the shopping street, and another has pink ice cream with a little bear-shaped topping. They fit naturally among the photographs of houses, plants and shop windows. Together, they remind me of how much pleasure there was in these simple parts of the visit.

A little bear on pink ice cream added a playful moment to my Kyoto walk.

An ice cream stop gave me a little more time to enjoy the busy street around me.

These tiny sweets were full of colour and detail, right down to their delicate stripes.

Even a basket of sweets showed the careful presentation I loved in these small shops.

Colourful characters filled the window, with the sky and nearby buildings reflected in the glass.

Every shelf offered something different to look at in this little shop filled with figures.

Walking down Kiyomizu-zaka, I enjoyed the busy shops, tiled roofs and green trees along the way.

The open doorway offered a glimpse of neatly arranged goods and warm wooden shelves.

Flowers beside the entrance added a lovely touch to this small shopfront.

Paper lanterns and neatly wrapped sweets gave this shop a warm, cheerful feel.

A warm September walk through two different streets

The September weather added to the memory. It was a little hot, but I still felt comfortable walking and looking around. In my photographs, patches of blue sky appear between the clouds, sunlight falls on the buildings, and the trees are green. I remember the day as bright and pleasant, with plenty of reasons to stay outside a little longer.

What connected the two streets for me was the care visible in both. On Chawan-zaka, I noticed it in a plant beside a door or the simple front of a wooden house. On Kiyomizu-zaka, I saw it in the colourful goods arranged outside a shop. The atmosphere changed, but that attention to small things stayed with me.

The pine branches curved across the entrance, adding to the quiet beauty of the wooden building.

I felt relaxed in different ways on each street. Chawan-zaka gave me quiet and space to look. Kiyomizu-zaka made me feel cheerful, with its shops, colours and visitors. I was glad to experience both. Each helped me enjoy this part of Kyoto a little more, and each gave me photographs I still like returning to.

Even this little corner beside a window had been given care, with colourful leaves growing around a stone.

For me, this is where slow travel becomes personal. It is having time to notice what appeals to you, then staying with it for a while. On these streets, I was drawn to simple things that had been made or arranged with care. I could enjoy them at my own pace and let those small moments become part of the trip.

Along Kiyomizu-zaka, there was always another shop window to catch my eye.

When I think back to Kiyomizu-zaka and Chawan-zaka, I remember a place that felt beautiful, welcoming and quietly stylish. I remember the privacy of the wooden houses, the neat plants and the bright shop displays. Both streets led towards the temple, and both gave me memories of their own. A little of that calm, happy feeling returns whenever I look at the photographs.

SSS