Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka

These winding stone-paved lanes cascade down Higashiyama's slopes like steps through time itself. Preserved wooden machiya line the path, their latticed facades hiding artisan shops, matcha cafes, and century-old sweet shops. In spring, cascading cherry blossoms create pink tunnels; in autumn, the lanes glow with crimson maple. Superstition says stumbling on Sannenzaka brings three years of bad luck — so tread carefully.