runs in the center of
Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
from east to west through the commercial center of the city. Shijō literally means ''Fourth Avenue'' of
Heian-kyō, the ancient capital.
History
The section between Shinkyōgoku street and the vicinity of the east side of the Tenjingawa river corresponds to the Shijō Ōji Avenue (四条大路) of the
Heian-kyō.
After the road was widened in 1911, it developed as an important traffic artery.
The
Shijō school of art derives its name from this street, since many artists were located there.
Along the street
The eastern end of the street is
Yasaka Shrine and the western end is
Matsunoo Shrine. The street is particularly busy with pedestrians and traffic from the east end to
Karasuma Street. The east end passes through the
courtesan's district of
Gion, with the historic street of
Hanami Lane branching off to the south, with the famous
Ichiriki Chaya at the corner. It then crosses the
Kamo River at Shijō Bridge, and from there to
Karasuma Street () the sidewalk is covered (except at major streets) and features several department stores, such as
Daimaru and
Marui
is a Japanese multinational retail company which operates a chain of department stores in Tokyo as well in other major Japanese cities. They are best known for their women's fashion and accessories, which are aimed at the 25–35 age range.
...
. The center of this area is the intersection with
Kawaramachi Street (
Shijō Kawaramachi), a very busy shopping area.
The city of Kyoto has enforced a
smoking ban on this street, on the busy section from Yasaka Shrine to Karasuma street, and in the surrounding districts.
During the
Gion Matsuri in the month of July, the Naginata-hoko, the Kanko-boko, Tsuki-hoko, Kakkyo-yama and Shijō-Kasa-Boko are built on the street. The street is also part of the route of the Yamaboko Junkō parade.
Relevant landmarks
*
Yasaka Shrine
*
Ichiriki-tei
* Chūgen-ji Temple
*
Minami-za Theater
* Shijō Bridge
*
Kamo River
* Shinkyōgoku Street
*
Umenomiya Shrine
* Matsuo Bridge
*
Katsura River
*
Matsunoo-taisha
Public transport
The street is one of trunk routes of the
city bus. Beneath the street are the tracks of the
Hankyu Kyoto Line railway with the stations at Kawaramachi Street (
Kawaramachi Station), Karasuma Street (
Karasuma Station),
Ōmiya Street (
Ōmiya Station) and Nishiōji Street (
Saiin Station). The
Keihan Main Line (
Gion-Shijō Station), the
Karasuma Line subway (
Shijō Station), the
Keifuku Arashiyama Main Line (
Shijo-Omiya Station and
Sai Station), the
Sanin Main Line (no nearby station) and the
Hankyu Arashiyama Line (
Matsuo-taisha Station) are the railways crossing the street.
The Shijō Line of
Kyoto City Tram operated on the street (between Gion and Shijō Ōmiya) from 1912 to 1972. The extension of the tram westward from Shijō Ōmiya was built as a
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
line to Nishiōji Shijō in 1932, to Umezu in 1958 (replacing existing Umezu Line tram) and to Matsuobashi in 1962. The trolleybus was discontinued in 1969.
References
External links
(Gion intersection, Higashioji Shijō, eastern end)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shijo Street
Streets in Kyoto
Tourist attractions in Kyoto Prefecture