Sannenzaka lies in Kyoto's Higashiyama area and is one of the city's main tourist attractions, its stone staircase and cobblestone streets leading to Kiyomizudera Temple as the former approach to the temple.

The most famous street in Kyoto that leads to a major temple is Sannenzaka (and the connecting Ninenzaka), which serves as the historic approach to the iconic Kiyomizu-dera Temple. This stone-paved pedestrian thoroughfare is the quintessential image of old Japan, lined with traditional wooden "machiya" houses, tea shops, and artisan boutiques. As you walk uphill toward the temple, the street offers a dramatic view of the Yasaka Pagoda (Hokan-ji Temple) framing the skyline, creating one of the most photographed vistas in the world. The area is a preserved historical district where many visitors choose to rent kimonos to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the Edo period. While Kiyomizu-dera itself is famous for its massive wooden stage that hangs over the hillside without the use of a single nail, the journey through Sannenzaka is equally famous for its "curse" legend—popular folklore suggests that if you trip and fall on these slopes, you will suffer three years of bad luck, though locals now joke that buying a gourd from a nearby shop can break the spell.