Yokai Street is an ordinary neighborhood shopping arcade on Ichijo-dori in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, lined with handmade yokai (monster) figures that individual shopkeepers set outside their storefronts. The theme draws on the Hyakki Yagyo, the old Kyoto legend of a night parade of one hundred demons in which long-used household tools come to life as tsukumogami spirits. Shops lean into it with monster-themed goods and snacks such as yokai croquettes and yokai ramen, but for most of the year it stays a quiet, working local street rather than a tourist attraction. Once a year it also hosts the Ichijo Hyakki Yagyo, an evening costume parade of residents dressed as yokai walking Ichijo-dori.

Best season

Year-round

Year-round; mid-to-late October for the annual Ichijo Hyakki Yagyo costume parade.

Crowd level

Hidden gem

Rating

3.2· 259 reviews

Opening hours

Daily 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Usual hours — confirm with the official site for holidays + seasonal closures.

Admission

Free — a public shopping street.

Nearest station

Kitano Hakubai-Cho Station · 5 min walk

Website

kyoto-taisyogun.com

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