The 7 Best Dining Experiences in Kyoto

1.Kyoto Gion Cultural Walk & Geisha Show with Dining Options

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 483 reviews · from $121Our pick

Kyoto Gion walking tour plus a 45-minute maiko dance show and Q&A. Learn Kabuki, Shinto, Zen, and optional dining.

“Kenta was a fabulous tour guide with a clear passion for the geiko culture and spreading knowledge and love of it to visitors from overseas. The tour itself was varied, engaging, and culminated in having tea and meeting a meiko-san who performed two lovely dances for us all. Absolute highlight of our trip to Japan, can't recommend any more highly!”

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2.Dinner with Maiko in a Traditional Kyoto Style Restaurant Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 175 reviews · from $299

Small-group Gion walk and a private Kyoto-style dinner with a maiko, plus cultural performance, food, drinks, and guide translation.

“A mesmerizing time with the maiko, you feel pampered and very welcomed :) The food was great, as well as the explanations and our guide. I will do this again”

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3.Mesmerizing Dinner with Maiko & Geisha

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 131 reviews · from $157

Kyoto kaiseki dinner with maiko or geisha, dances, games, and included drinks, in a historic wooden restaurant for 2 hours.

“Firstly, this experience was with a Maiko only. I'm not sure why the listing is incorrect.”

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4.Geisha Dinner & Gion Cultural Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 73 reviews · 3 hours · from $257

Walk Gion, enjoy kaiseki dinner with unlimited sake, then spend up to 2 hours with a geiko or maiko.

“Our guide Taïga and the Geisha were lovely, we were able to ask all the questions we wanted, we know now more about this specific culture in Japan. We also played to a fun game. A really special thanks to our guide Taiga. We had a great time, the walk in the Gion district was pleasant and the dinner was excellent. A dose of humor is always necessary.”

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5.Maiko Dinner in Traditional Restaurant and Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 55 reviews · 3h 30m · from $292

Walk Gion with a local, enjoy a Kyoto dinner with all-you-can-drink sake, then meet a maiko for dance, games, and photos.

“The experience is worth every penny!! it was the highlight of our trip to Japan! Hikari-san was amazing, our group was fun, humorous and kighthearted and Maiko-san was not only stunningly beautiful but really fun and outgoing. We got to ask her a lot of questions, play games, watch a breathtaking performance. Truly a peek behind the courtain of their authentic culture. Highly recommending it to everyone.”

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6.Lunch or Dinner with Maiko

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 52 reviews · 1h 30m · from $63Best value

Meet Kyoto Maiko over dinner with tea ceremony demo, Q&A, close-up photos, and two elegant dances in 90 minutes for $63.

“It was an amazing experience and we were lucky enough that a Geiko attended.”

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7.Kyoto Night Foodie Tour in Gion (15+ Tastings, Full dinner)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · from $153

Kyoto night food walk in Gion with 15+ tastings, full dinner and dessert, plus a Kyoto sake stop, guided in English for $153.

“Probably the best and the worse food I ever had on a GYG tour: first stop had an amazing dinner and second stop was quite bad”

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