Shijō literally means Fourth Avenue of Heian-kyō, the ancient capital.

The section between Shinkyōgoku street and the vicinity of the east side of the Tenjingawa river corresponds to the Shijō Ōji Avenue (四条大路) of the Heian-kyō.

The east end passes through the courtesan's district of Gion, with the historic street of Hanami Lane branching off to the south, with the famous Ichiriki Chaya at the corner.

It then crosses the Kamo River at Shijō Bridge, and from there to Karasuma Street (Shijō Karasuma [ja]) the sidewalk is covered (except at major streets) and features several department stores, such as Daimaru and Marui.

During the Gion Matsuri in the month of July, the Naginata-hoko, the Kanko-boko, Tsuki-hoko, Kakkyo-yama and Shijō-Kasa-Boko are built on the street.