Kyoto Underground Tour

During your tour today, your guide will also touch on human rights issues and minorities in modern day Japan. You will also visit Kyoto's largest minority neighbourhood today. 

If you have wanted to see the sides of Kyoto that the masses miss, areas that you are not even sure existed in the city, this is the tour for you. We wanted to offer a special side of Kyoto, a city that has so many corners and angles that seem to be overlooked by many.

Itinerary:

Today's tour will kick off at our secret restaurant, one of the city's best-kept secrets.

We will then head to the Sujin Buraku District, one of the country'st most discriminated areas on the eastern side of Kyoto Station. The district is home to the Burakumin people who are less than two percent of the total population. A Buraku is a ghetto where people of all descent are forced to live. 

Our next stop will be at the Bank of Yanagihara Memorial Museum. As the only bank to be created by the Buraku people, it is a very important building for them - one that should not be missed. Money collected from Buraku businessmen allowed the bank to open and be privately ran. Because other banks did not want to loan the Burakumin any money, the bank helped build schools and other local businesses, and most important gave the Burakumin a chance. The bank has been closed since 1927 and is now an important museum about their culture, and also human rights.

Next up, Higashi-Kujo. Another Buraku area on the east side of the Kamo River. Here, you'll find the largest Zainichi Korean population in the city. The area was previously known as a flourishing area of black markets at the end of World War Two. The area, however, is now abandoned as it was said that the housing was illegal. This area was famously portrayed in the Japanese hit movie Pachiggi. 

From here, you will head to Kyoto's most suspicious district, Matsunoki. Although the visit sounds a bit nerve-racking, you will be in very good hands and it's sure to be one of the most interesting aspects of the tour. 

Today you can look forward to eating Okonomiyaki, a traditional food that is a pancake cooked on a traditional grill. The best way to eat the treat is with loads of Tsubame sauce - here is the only place in Kyoto where you're able to indulge in this tasty treat.

END OF TOUR