When you can see them dance

Venue: Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Annex Theatre (Yasaka Hall), 570-2 Gion-machi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: Prices on the official site as of 2026-09-18 (tax included): premium seat 6,600 yen; seat with tea and sweets 6,050 yen; general (23 and over) 5,500 yen; ages 16-22 3,850 yen; ages 7-15 3,300 yen; ages 0-6 free (no seat); groups of 20 or more 4,700 yen; school trips 1,500 yen. Online booking at s2.e-get.jp/ookini/ or at the ticket window on the day if seats remain.

Booking opens: Bookable online at any time via the foundation's e-get system.

For a first visit: Run by the Kyoto Traditional Musical Art Foundation. A sampler of seven traditional arts in one hour: Kyomai danced by maiko, tea ceremony, ikebana, koto, bugaku court dance, kyogen comedy, and bunraku puppet theatre or noh depending on the season. The easiest year-round way to see maiko dance without an ozashiki invitation; no Japanese needed.

Venue: Kitano Tenmangu shrine, special tea seats in the 'Funade no Niwa' garden in front of Kobaiden

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: A tea ticket (nodate haifuku-ken) is needed. For 2026 the Kyoto City tourism site lists 3,000 yen per person, including the tea, treasure-hall admission and a gift, distributed from January 25 at the shrine's Bundo Kaikan reception; the shrine's own notice for 2023 listed 2,000 yen from January 28, so the price has changed over the years. Tickets are sold in person at the shrine only (no phone or mail reservations, per the shrine).

Booking opens: Tickets go on sale at the shrine reception in late January (2026: January 25). Same-day tickets exist but sell out early in the morning.

For a first visit: Kamishichiken's geiko and maiko prepare and serve tea outdoors among the plum trees, recalling Hideyoshi's 1587 Kitano grand tea gathering. A shrine festival, so it is open to anyone with a ticket; expect long queues.

Venue: Kamishichiken Kaburenjo, Kitano Kamishichiken, Kamigyo-ku

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices: seat with tea ticket 7,000 yen; seat without tea 6,000 yen; tea only (same day) 1,000 yen; programme 800 yen. Enquiries Kamishichiken Kabukai 075-461-0148 (weekdays 10:00-17:00); the official site links to its web booking.

Booking opens: The official Kitano Odori page could not be fetched on 2026-09-18 (404). A secondary source (social-media post quoting the official notice) gives 2026 sales from January 13, 2026 — treat as secondary.

For a first visit: The earliest of the spring odori and the only one at the oldest kagai. Part 1 is a dance-drama with spoken lines, Part 2 a set of dances, and the finale 'Kamishichiken Yakyoku' brings out every geiko in black trailing kimono and every maiko in colour. Combine with the plum or early cherry blossom at Kitano Tenmangu next door.

Venue: Gion Kobu Kaburenjo, Hanamikoji-dori, Higashiyama-ku

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices (all reserved): first-class seat with tea ticket 7,000 yen; first-class seat 6,000 yen; second-class seat 4,000 yen; second-class student seat 2,000 yen. Sold online through the official site's ticket system (s2.e-get.jp) and by phone via the Gion Kobu Kabukai (075-541-3391, weekdays 10:00-17:00).

Booking opens: 2026 tickets went on sale January 6, 2026 at 10:00 (about three months before the run). Expect a similar timing for 2027; check the official site in early January.

For a first visit: The most famous of the spring odori: about an hour long, eight scenes moving through the four seasons, with a grand ensemble finale. Seats with the tea ticket include a brief tea ceremony served by a geiko before the show; arrive early for it. Programme booklets sold separately.

Venue: Miyagawacho Kaburenjo 'Mitsuwaza', 306 Miyagawa-suji 4-chome, Higashiyama-ku

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices (all reserved, tax included, both with tea ticket): first-class (entire 1st floor) 7,000 yen; second-class (entire 2nd floor) 6,000 yen. Sold online via the official site; enquiries Miyagawacho Ochaya Kumiai 075-561-1151.

Booking opens: 2026 tickets went on sale February 25, 2026 at 10:00 online.

For a first visit: A newly written dance-drama each year (2026: 'Kyoraku Furisode Hajime', eight scenes), ending with the district's signature 'Miyagawa Ondo'. Smaller, more intimate theatre than Gion Kobu's and easier to get good seats.

Venue: Pontocho Kaburenjo, Pontocho-dori Sanjo-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices: special seat with tea ticket 7,000 yen; special seat 6,000 yen; regular seat 4,000 yen. Sold online (official site, credit card), by phone from the Pontocho Kabukai (075-221-2025, weekdays 10:00-17:00, also weekends during the run) and via travel agencies (JTB, Nippon Travel, Kinki Nippon Tourist).

Booking opens: Sale start date for 2026 not stated on the pages read; the official site announces it each year (check kamogawa-odori.com/ticket/ in early spring).

For a first visit: Two-part programme: a dance-drama with a story in Part 1 and pure dance in Part 2, ending with the whole company on stage. The theatre by Sanjo Bridge is compact and the May timing avoids April crowds.

Venue: Minamiza theatre, east end of Shijo Bridge, Higashiyama-ku

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices: special seat (1st-floor boxes, 2nd-floor front row) 14,000 yen; first-class 13,000 yen; second-class (3rd floor) 6,500 yen (students 3,250 yen on the day). Sold by the Kyoto Traditional Musical Art Foundation (075-561-3901), Ticket Phone Shochiku (0570-000-489), Ticket Web Shochiku, the Minamiza box office, Kabukiza and Shinbashi Enbujo in Tokyo, and online via e-get.

Booking opens: 2026 tickets went on sale April 22, 2026 at 10:00.

For a first visit: The only stage where all five kagai dance in one programme, each in its own school, ending with 'Maiko no Nigiwai' danced by 20 maiko from the five districts. Note: the name 'Kyo no Miyabi' does not appear on the foundation's pages; the event is called 'Miyako no Nigiwai'. The foundation also lists an early-spring joint stage, 'Soshun Yume Butai', on its events page (details not researched).

Venue: Garden of the Kamishichiken Kaburenjo (151 seats)

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026: first set 2,500 yen (draft beer and appetisers), then a la carte. Reservations (priority, from two people) accepted on the official site from June 1, 2026. Adults only.

Booking opens: 2026 reservations opened June 1, 2026 on the official site.

For a first visit: The most relaxed way to meet geiko and maiko: they wear matching yukata and move from table to table for a short chat, leaving a senjafuda name slip. No dance performance; it is a beer garden, so go for the conversation and setting.

Venue: The streets of Gion (Hanamikoji and surrounding lanes); the geiko and maiko call at ochaya and their teachers' homes.

Public can attend: street-viewing only; no organised public event

Tickets: Not a ticketed event. There is nothing to book; it is a private custom of the kagai that happens on public streets.

Booking opens: Not applicable.

For a first visit: On Hassaku (originally the first day of the eighth lunar month, a farmers' thanksgiving that became a gift-giving day in Kyoto) Gion Kobu's geiko and maiko put on formal black crested summer kimono and walk from house to house thanking the teahouses and their dance teacher. Visitors may see them from the street, but the visits themselves are private: do not follow, block or photograph them at close range. The custom is documented by the Gion shopping-street association; the Kyoto City site does not list it as a public event.

Venue: Gion Kobu Kaburenjo

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices: first-class seat 10,000 yen; second-class seat 6,000 yen. Sold online via the official ticket system (s2.e-get.jp); enquiries 075-541-3391.

Booking opens: 2026 tickets went on sale August 10, 2026 at 10:00.

For a first visit: Originally a recital where Gion Kobu's geiko and maiko showed the results of their lessons; now open to the public. A programme of classical Inoue-school Kyomai pieces rather than a themed spectacle, so it suits people who want to see the dance itself close up.

Venue: Miyagawacho Kaburenjo 'Mitsuwaza'

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices (tax included): first-class (1st floor) 10,000 yen; second-class (2nd floor) 8,000 yen. Reserved seats sold in the official online shop; same-day tickets at the theatre only if seats remain; travel agencies by fax; wheelchair users should call 075-561-1151.

Booking opens: 2026 tickets went on sale September 9, 2026 at 12:00 online.

For a first visit: Miyagawacho's autumn recital, centred on classical Wakayagi-school pieces and closing with a piece celebrating the district's seasons. Only four days, so book promptly.

Venue: Pontocho Kaburenjo

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices: reserved seats 10,000 yen or 8,000 yen; unreserved seats 5,000 yen. By phone from the Pontocho Kabukai (075-221-2025, weekdays 10:00-17:00) or online via the official ticket page.

Booking opens: The official site's ticket page was updated during the season; the sale start for 2026 was not stated on the pages read (the homepage news item gave a September 7 start for a previous year). Check kamogawa-odori.com/ticket2/ in late summer.

For a first visit: Founded in 1930 by merging two earlier study groups and named after the clear waters of the Kamo River. About 40 geiko and maiko perform classical Onoe-school pieces; a more formal, connoisseur's programme than the May Kamogawa Odori.

Venue: Gion Kaikan, 323 Gion-machi Kitagawa, Higashiyama-ku (at the foot of the Yasaka Shrine steps)

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 prices (tax included): special seat with tea ticket 7,000 yen; seat 6,000 yen; programme 1,000 yen. Online via the Gion Higashi Kabukai shop (gionodori.base.shop) August 1 - October 28, 2026; travel agencies (JTB, Kinki Nippon Tourist, Nippon Travel) August 1 - late October; Gion Kaikan box office October 30 - November 10 (same-day tickets also at the box office). Enquiries 075-561-0224.

Booking opens: 2026 tickets went on sale August 1, 2026 at 10:00.

For a first visit: The only main odori of the five kagai held in autumn, timed with the coloured leaves. A themed one-hour programme (2026 theme: water) with a finale featuring the whole district. Small cast, so easy to see individual dancers.

Venue: Kamishichiken Kaburenjo

Public can attend: Yes

Tickets: 2026 price: seat 10,000 yen (tax included); preschool children not admitted. Internet reservation via the official site; enquiries Kamishichiken Kabukai 075-461-0148.

Booking opens: Sale start for 2026 not stated on the pages read; the official site (maiko3.com/kotobukikai/) posts it.

For a first visit: Kamishichiken's autumn recital of classical Hanayagi-school dances with live nagauta and shamisen, in a theatre otherwise closed to the public. Quieter and more traditional than the spring Kitano Odori.

Venue: Gion Kobu and the other kagai; in Gion Kobu the geiko and maiko visit the home and studio of Inoue Yachiyo, head of the Inoue school of Kyomai.

Public can attend: street-viewing only; the ceremony is private

Tickets: Not a ticketed event and not open to the public; the greetings take place inside private homes.

Booking opens: Not applicable.

For a first visit: An Edo-period Kyoto custom marking the start of New Year preparations. In Gion Kobu each geiko and maiko brings a kagami-mochi rice cake to Inoue Yachiyo, thanks her for the year, and receives a dance fan with the words 'okibariyasu' (do your best). Press and onlookers gather outside the studio on Hanamikoji, so the arrivals can be glimpsed from the street, but the ceremony itself is private. Listed on the Kyoto City events site as a seasonal custom without public access details.