Higashiyama District open on New Year Eve?

Hello there! This is my family's first time spending New Year's in Kyoto. We are aware that the temples and shrines are open during this festive period but are wondering if the shops along Higashiyama District and Gion are open on 31 Dec. We are planning to rent kimonos to walk along those beautiful streets but if everything is closed then we might drop the kimono idea.

Also, would Nishiki market be open on 30 Dec or 31 Dec?

And finally, does anyone know if the SKY HOP bus in Kyoto runs on New Year's Day 1 Jan?

Thank you.

Hi! I was in Kyoto on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day this year (2022 -> 2023). I'm not sure about the Sky Hop bus, but shops should be open as per normal on 30 December and are likely to close much earlier (noon to before dinnertime) on 31 December, including Nishiki Market, Higashiyama, and Gion areas.

Hope that helps :))

I was also staying in Kyoto Dec 31st 2022. While I was not in the Higashiyama/Gion area, the stores/restaurants around the Kyoto Station did close much earlier than usual. Walking around would still be nice during the day as those areas would still be pretty even with some of the shops closed.
Operating days for December/January appear to have not yet been set. Refer to https://skyhopbus.com/kyoto/en/operating_day closer to the time.

I donft know about Kimono rental stores, but I was in Kyoto last year for New Year and visited a number of temples in Higashiyama at night which was really nice, BUT itfs cold at night, so wouldnft suggest doing that in a kimono.

http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2023/01/ny2023-d1-new-year-in-k...

Thank you very much for your prompt responses. They are very helpful for my itinerary planning over this year end couple of days. I really appreciate it 🙏.

Hi! As a follow up to the original question, would anyone know what will be open from Jan 2nd to Jan 5th? We are a family of 5 (3 kids) and I didnft realize that things would be closed during the new year 😬

It depends on each place. Generally temples and shrines will be open and some of them very busy. Which can be nice though because you see them in actual use. Other tourist attractions depends. Check out their websites. Restaurants some will be closed until 4/Jan others not. As long as you are in Kyoto youfll find things to do and food to eat galore. But out in the countryside restaurants etc are a bit harder to come by until the 4 th.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2276.html