二月の京都鴨川自転車でOn a cold mid-February day we were cycling the former redlight district - and now quiet neighborhood - known as Gojo Rakuen.
It abuts the Kamo River between Shichijo Dori and Gojo Dori.
In its heyday, the area was bustling with theaters, restaurants, and brothels.
That ended with the outlawing of prostitution in the late 1950s. Once the ladies of the night closed their shutters for good, so too did the theaters and restaurants.
The area fell into a several decades long funk - some no doubt thought a long overdue "funk" - but is now being reappraised. There is a great cafe - eFish - just south of Gojo Dori on Kiyamachi, and a few other shops worth visiting.
Today, many of the old buildings remain, but the area is a quiet - and pleasant - neighborhood just south of central Kyoto.
Located by the river too has its charms, though, alas, the bike path on the west side of the river stops south of Shijo Dori before coming to Gojo.
© CycleKyoto.com
Tags
Japan
Touring
Kyoto
Cycle
Kamo River
1 comment:
I found out the hard way about that cycle path finishing.It was worse than european cobblestones.
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