Kyoto 10-day trip (late May)

27 comments

1. Where do you live? It seems highly unlikely that Japan will be open to foreign travelers by then.

2. May? Like a month from now may?,

3. Yeah, I will second the remarks about it being very unlikely that you’ll be able to enter Japan in May. I would LOVE to be wrong on that- but its not looking good. 🙁

   In general the trip looks fine, you’ve got all the major sights there and no day is too crowded, but I would suggest leaving Kyoto for a few days. Kyoto has this reputation as “The Amazing Center of Japanese Culture” – and it is super cool. But its also a big, modern city. Of all my favorite things that I’ve done in Japan, one is in Kyoto- Fushimi Inari. Otherwise, the rest are out in the wider country. So that would be my advice- take three or four nights and head out of the city somewhere else.

4. Kyoto is arguably the world’s best city! Very jealous you get to go for 10 days.

   That being said, I would suggest doing a day tip to Osaka castle and walk around the downtown. If coming from the West like I did, you’ll probably be floored by just how much more modern everything is

5. Firstly I like the slow approach for a shorter trip when you know you will have chances to go again, very different experience than trying to fit everything in.

   This is a highly subjective opinion but you are seeing ~15 temples and shrines in ten days – in my experience you are going to get diminishing returns past five or so. This will be different for every traveler of course so measure against your own experience. Personally I would lose Day 6, and do a day trip to Himeji or Miyajima.

6. You can do more of the temples on the east side in fewer days. Take a day and go to Lake Biwa. Also find time to go to Kifune Shrine and Kurama onsen in the north

7. On day 8 it’d be pretty easy to also do Kinkakuji and Ryoanji, with add ons for Ninnaji or Myoshinji in the afternoon. Post-Morning walk thru Nishijin, then Kitano, etc.

8. Agree with the Kansai One Pass and Haruka discount ticket.

   Kintetsu pass is not necessary for Nara, one way only cost 640 yen, so round trip is less than the cost of the pass. It’s only worth it if you do plan to take the bus (it’s included in the Kintetsu pass, you do not need a bus pass), however, depending on where you want to go, you can easily visit Nara without having to use the bus a single time.

   Would consider adding Nijo-jo, probably around day 7 or 8.

   While I do like temples, considering the number you listed and the fact that you likely do not have prior experience, I would highly suggest to have some back-up plans in case you are tired to visit temples. For example Arashiyama you could go for the sagano scenic railway, I’ve also been to the Railway museum that is quite nice if you are remotely interested by train. You could also easily change one of these day for a day trip to a nearby city like Osaka or even Kobe.

9. I love Kyoto, but I honestly feel like 10 days is too long. If you are a Japan local and just want a ‘chill’ trip, the pacing seems great, but if you are traveling any distance I’d suggest you spend at least 4 days somewhere else (Osaka or Tokyo). After 1-2 days in the modern part of the city and 4ish days seeing Gion and the sites, I can fairly say I would prefer a change of scenery for a few days.
   Also, if you are not a local, it is unlikely any foreigners will be able to enter Japan for leisure by May, so you may need to target May 2023 as a more achievable goal.

10. I love Kyoto more than most, but are you sure that’s not too many temples/shrines?

    Anyway, re: transport, Kyoto is easy to get around using buses/trains BUT they get crowded and are kinda slow. Cycling is a great option, and often faster than public transport in central Kyoto.

    Personally I’d delete a day or two of temples and get a change of scenery. Hop on the train to Lake Biwa – Omihachiman is a cute retro area with a canal, canalside eats, and short hike up a mountain (or there’s a cable car) with great views of the lake. Over the other side of the lake you can have a swim on Omimaiko beach, or go up Mt Hieizan (via Hieizansakamoto) and go back to Kyoto the other side (visa Yasehieizanguchi).

    Or just to Osaka for the afternoon and eat Takoyaki by the river.

11. My hike up to the temple complex on Mt. Kurama just north of Kyoto was one of my most memorable days during my 2 months in the country. If you like to hike you can take a different trail back down the mountain to the next community over. Extraordinarily beautiful. Unique setting. Huge sacred trees.

    I thought that the Fushimi Inari shrine was going to be over rated but it wasn’t! At all! The lower portion was overcrowded as you would expect but hiking up to the top was otherworldly. Super cool.

    I was a little disappointed with Arashiyama. It’s really really small. But there’s lots of other cool stuff in that area. Also, as a general heads up, I was surprised by the relative lack of restaurants in this area, it’s mostly residential. Take snacks.

    In re: transportation. Definitely not as easy to get around as Tokyo. The public buses are CROWDED. Like so packed you can’t get on sometimes.

12. Days 1 and 2 will be busy, but doable. Day 3 could be a problem. Fushimi Inari is a HUGE shrine complex that can easily take half a day. Uji also has a main temple/shrine, a couple of smaller temples/shrines, a hill to walk up that overlooks the area, a shopping street, and walks along the river. It would probably be quite exhausting to do Fushimi and Uji in the same day. Nara could be done in a day, but it’s just as amazing as Kyoto, yet more subdued, so it’s possible to spend more than a day there. I spent a week there before and always had new places to visit. The other days look OK.

    Oh, and like others said, if you’re not in Japan now, but are planning this for next month, it’s unlikely to happen. As far as I know Japan isn’t open to foreign tourists.

13. If you’re going to Uji, especially on a trip that’s essentially a pilgrimage, you might as well visit Byodo-in and Agata Jinja next door. Byodo-in is one of the more famous Buddhist temples, Agata Jinja is just nice and old. If you’re into anime at all, the Uji studio of Kyoto Animation was the studio that was burned down by the arsonist, so you can go pay your respect as well.

    That said, I don’t think you’re going to be able to go to Japan as a tourist in May. You need either a work or student visa to get into the country, or be a citizen or spouse of a citizen. Even if you could (spouse of a citizen, or Japanese national, for example), you’re still required to self quarantine for – I think – 3 days.

14. What dates? Kyoto has many seasonal events, but without specific dates it’s hard to give specific advice.

    I would definitely suggest adding day trips to Osaka and Himeji (probably with Kobe in the afternoon/evening) and/or possibly Hikone (+Nagahama or Omihachiman if you’re interested). North of Kyoto, Kurama/Kibune, Ohara, and Mt. Hiei are all worth at least half a day if you can find the time.

    >especially in terms of transpport

    Rent bikes. It’s the best way to see the city, you’ve got the time, and the time of year really could not be any better in terms of weather.

15. The itinerary looks amazing. Unfortunately I think it’s highly unlikely the Japanese government’s restrictions will let you enter as a tourist even at the end of May.

16. As others have said you’re doing a lot of temples and you can probably combine a couple of temples on the east side to open up a couple of days. I’d recommend a day in Nara to see the deer and the Buddha. Osaka is close and you can see some different things there. Also I see that you’re going to Uji. If you’re interested in tea (or just want to see rural Japan) I’d recommend doing a tea tour in Wazuka. I did one through d:Matcha and it was one of my favorite parts of my trip.

17. Looks great! You did your homework. I was in Japan 2019. Kyoto and Tokyo.

    I was able to take trains and walk everywhere.

    Not sure if it services the trains you are looking at, but JR Pass will save you a nice chunk of change. [https://www.jrailpass.com/](https://www.jrailpass.com/). Make sure you buy before entering the country. I think it is for foreigners/tourists only, and it gives a discount on regular fairs.

    After about 4 days of temples, I hit my temple saturation level. I love the old school architecture of the temples and old town Kyoto, but it was a lot.

    Optional – Bullet train to Tokyo is quick and a great experience. Osaka is technically on the way to Kyoto.

    Hydrate and wear comfortable shoes. I was in decent shape, but I was sitting in front of a computer on most days prior to my trip. And it was hotter than I expected. Beautiful sunshine and I could swear the sky was more blue there.

    If you like tea, [https://goo.gl/maps/YhXFMvPhiwbb7J8j8](https://goo.gl/maps/YhXFMvPhiwbb7J8j8)

    Have a great trip!

18. For your Arashiyama day, you could take a ride up the river on a sightseeing train and then a riverboat ride back down to Arashiyama. It was one of the best things we did in Kyoto!

    [Kyoto Day Trip: Arashiyama Scenic Railway and Riverboat Ride](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/mibm8t/kyoto_sagano_scenic_train_hozugawa_riverboat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)

19. Do note that Haruka has a pretty early end time, so make sure your arrival timing leaves you enough time to clear immigration, ticket collection and getting to the station. My flight was delayed and I missed the last train, so I had to take the normal train to my hotel in Osaka.

20. I’ll suggest to spend a few days at least in Osaka, it’s only half hour away and is a good break from temples. The science museum, national park and natural history museum are great.

    For Kyoto, the railway museum is a good add on

21. I’m actually visiting Kyoto for the second time, and saw some of the stuff in your plans. While I definitely like your plans for Day 1-2-3-4-8, the overload of temples the other days is going to make you loose interest after a time, not counting the crowds.

    I went to Arashiyama today and Kinkaku-ji yesterday, and my expectations went down. Nara, Kiyomizu-dera and the neighborhood, Gion, Fushimi Inari, Nishiki market, Kawaramachi neighborhood, on the other hand, must be on your list.

    I would advise you to not stay in Kyoto for the whole 10 days, and take 1-2 days to go somewhere else. Explore a bit of Shiga prefecture near lake Biwa, go to Shinsekai and Dotombori in Osaka, go to Kobe, there’s plenty of things more worthy of your time than the 15th temple visit !

    If you really want to stay in Kyoto, check the botanical garden to give you a quiet break after a full day of shopping 👍

22. Osaka is so close and worth a visit

23. Nara isn’t a big place. We walked everywhere. Get to Arashiyama early if you can. It’s totally different from its busy state. We mostly used buses to get around Kyoto. Also walked plenty.

24. Where will you be staying? Hotel or Ryokan?

25. Sounds like a super nice trip!

    If you’re interested in a chill place away from the city I highly recommend Kurama Onsen. It’s about an hour away from the central station in Kyoto by bus/train, located in the mountains north of the city. They have an outdoor hotspring (naturally heated) with a beautiful view of the forests, as well as a decent selection of baths inside and good food – also reccomend giving their massage chairs a spin.

26. Lots of temples, but for variety the zen shrine Ryoan-ji is world famous, and Kinkaku-ji is just up the street.

    Train museum is excellent if that’s one of your interests.

27. I’d suggest you should spend a couple days at the front or back in Osaka, presumably that’s where you’re flying out. It’s too much temples and you’ll get bored. Osaka has a lot to offer a first timer and you’ll have a good time there