Presenting a bland lattice-shuttered face by day, Ponto-chō (先斗町) comes alive at night, with lanterns from restaurants that reflect off the Kamo River giving the impression that the entertainment quarter really is a floating world.
This pleasant illusion is heightened in summer, when both locals and tourists vie to get reservations for the coolest seats in town on the wooden yuka (platforms) temporarily erected over the Kamo River.
However, the real action is down a narrow alley that runs through the heart of the area between the Kamo River and the Takase-gawa Canal. Many of the establishments here are by invitation only, but it's fun to stroll down Ponto-chō-dōri, where you might even spot a geiko (as the locals call geisha) or maiko (apprentice geisha) making their way between appointments at their teahouses and elite restaurants and bars. You won't be able to follow them in, but even here, tourists aren't excluded entirely, and more and more reasonably priced, accessible places can be found.
