Hi! I’ll be in Kyoto for 5 days in July with a group of 7. There’s so much to do in Kyoto so I’m afraid I may have packed in too much!
Here is the itinerary so far:
DAY 1 (Friday): Higashiyama
* *Note: luggage would have already been sent from Tokyo to our Kyoto hotel*
* Breakfast at Hakone Ryokan
* Shinkansen to Kyoto (~2 hrs, aim to arrive by noon)
* Rent yukatas/kimonos
* Walk through Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka, getting food and visiting shops
* Visit Kiyomizu-dera
* Return yukata/kimono rentals before 6 PM
* Check into hotel in Kawaramachi
* Dinner
DAY 2 (Saturday): Arashiyama
* Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (7-8 AM)
* Bus to Otagi Nenbutsuji Temple
* Walk down to Adashino Nenbutsuji and Gioji Temple
* Lunch @ Unagi Hirokawa (requires online reservation a month before; will eat somewhere else otherwise)
* Visit Arashiyama Monkey Park
* Go to cute cafes on the way back to Arashiyama station (e.g. Snoopy Chocolat, Rilakkuma Tea House, Miffy Sakura Kitchen)
* Dinner, either at Arashiyama or on the way back to Kawaramachi
DAY 3 (Sunday): Uji + Nara
* Fushimi Inari (7-8 AM, won’t hike up all the way)
* Bus (edit: train) 30 mins to Uji
* Queue for Nakamura Tokichi Honten @ 10 AM
* OR eat at Itoh Kyuemon
* Visit Byodo-in temple
* Shinkansen (edit: train) 40 minutes to Nara
* Hang out with the deer, try the Nakantanidou Mochi
* Dinner, either at Nara or back in Kyoto
DAY 4 (Monday): Kifune -> Kurama
* Travel to Kifune
* Arrive at Hirobun Nagashi-somen restaurant by 9-10 AM
* Visit Kifune shrine while waiting
* Have lunch
* Hike from Kifune to Mt. Kurama (~2 hrs)
* Visit Kurama Onsen (planned to reopen this spring, hopefully should be open by July)
* Have dinner at Kurama onsen, or on the way back to the hotel
DAY 5 (Tuesday):
* Free day!
* Maybe go on a temple tour (Kinkaku-ji + Ryoan-ji) and eat mochi at Ichimonjiya Wasuke
* Maybe visit Nishiki Market
* Ship our luggage to Osaka
by kangjii
