How to Read Karasuma-dori and Kawaramachi-dori

烏丸 is Karasuma

烏丸通 is read Karasuma-dōri (からすまどおり). It is one of Kyoto's best-known hard-to-read street names, with 烏 read karasu ("crow") and 丸 read ma, and the same reading is used for the Karasuma subway line, Karasuma Oike, Shijō Karasuma, and so on.

烏丸通 is a tricky name that people tend to misread as Karasumaru or Torimaru, but it is a major traffic artery that runs past the western edge of Kyoto Gyoen, with the Karasuma subway line running along it through Kyoto Station. The area from Karasuma Oike to Shijō Karasuma thrives as a business district.

In addresses and intersection names it appears as "烏丸通 ○○" or "○○烏丸." The key is not to read it Karasumaru just from the kanji.

河原町 is Kawaramachi

河原町通 is read Kawaramachi-dōri (かわらまちどおり), not Kawaharamachi. You will also hear this reading in intersection names that combine it with east–west streets, such as Shijō Kawaramachi and Kawaramachi Oike.

Kawaramachi-dōri is a busy shopping and entertainment area centered between Sanjō and Shijō, around Kawaramachi Sanjō and Shijō Kawaramachi. The Shinkyōgoku shopping arcade runs just west of it, and the Teramachi shopping arcade further west. With many hotels and shops, it is lively with young people and students on school trips.

How are they read in station and bus stop names?

The street names are used as they are in station and stop names, and the readings are always Karasuma and Kawaramachi.

Shijō Karasuma calls for care. The Karasuma subway line station under the intersection is called Shijō (しじょう), and an underground passage links it to Hankyu Railway's Karasuma (からすま) Station. The city bus stop is called Shijō Karasuma. The same place has different names on the subway, Hankyu, and city buses, so when arranging to meet someone, it is safest to confirm the line name too.

Intersection names combine two streets

In central Kyoto, places are often described by combining the names of two crossing streets. Karasuma Oike is the intersection of Karasuma-dōri and Oike-dōri, and Shijō Kawaramachi is the intersection of Shijō-dōri and Kawaramachi-dōri. Once you learn how the streets are read, addresses and bus stop names become easier to decipher.

Which street is named first, however, depends on the name. Looking at stop names and exit names, Shijō Karasuma puts the east–west street first, while Karasuma Imadegawa, Karasuma Marutamachi, Kawaramachi Sanjō, and Kawaramachi Oike put the north–south street first. If you read them assuming that either order points to the same intersection, you are less likely to get lost.

Town names may read Karasumaru or Kawahara

The street names are Karasuma and Kawaramachi, but town names containing the same kanji are not always read the same way. Looking at town names, most read 烏丸 as Karasuma, but 修学院烏丸町 in Sakyō Ward is read Shūgakuin-Karasumaru-chō, and 吉田河原町 is read Yoshida-Kawahara-chō.

Among town names containing 河原町, some are read kawaramachi, like 東九条北河原町 (Higashikujō-Kitakawaramachi), while others are read kawara-chō, like 西京極河原町 (Nishikyōgoku-Kawara-chō). Rather than applying the street-name readings directly to town names, the reliable way is to check each one in a list of town names when looking up an address.

For walking and further reading

To get a feel for Karasuma-dōri, try walking with the Karasuma Line subway stations as landmarks. An exit of Imadegawa Station leads to the Imadegawa Gate of Kyoto Gyoen, and Shijō Station connects to the Shijō-dōri underground passage toward Nishiki Market. For Kawaramachi-dōri, walking the busy stretch from Sanjō to Shijō while moving back and forth to the Shinkyōgoku and Teramachi arcades helps you grasp how they relate.

For tips on memorizing street names, see this dictionary's entry on the Kyoto street-name song; for how to read agaru and sagaru in addresses, see the entry on agaru, sagaru, higashi-iru, and nishi-iru.