Pontocho

Pontocho is a narrow entertainment alley in central Kyoto, running one block back from the Kamo River between two of the city's main bridges. Barely wide enough for two people, the lantern-lit lane is lined with traditional wooden machiya buildings housing restaurants, teahouses and bars, several dating to the district's origins as a riverside pleasure quarter. In summer many establishments extend wooden dining platforms out over the river. Visitors stroll the paved passage in the evening.