Wanted to share what I did in Kyoto when renting a kimono as I think I managed to squeeze a lot in one day after researching various forums! Hope its useful for anyone planning the same.
9am: Rent kimono – this is key to get your pick of the kimonos and to have the whole day to explore. The whole process can take up to an hour. I paid extra for the hair styling and think it’s worth it. My kimono Rental was 5mins from Yasaka shrine (booked on Klook).
10am-1:30pm: Yasaka Shrine, Sannenzaka (pedestrian street with cute shops and restaurants, grab some food/coffee etc), Kiyomizu temple (this is huge, and lots of walking, views are gorgeous and you get to try many temple activities), Seikan-ji Temple (the route to this through the forest looks amazing, temple itself is so so but has a great view).
1:30pm-4pm: Head to Fushimi Inari (grab a cab to get there quicker and get a bit of rest). I took one from the bottom of Seikan-Ji temple as it’s on a road, saved me the walk back the same route as well. I climbed most of the steps just not the very mountain top as I was tired and already found a good viewing spot (so stopped around 20mins away). It was truly magical and actually it was not crowded at all at this time. I know all advice says to come in the morning but I have limited days in Kyoto so wanted to make the most of it. Those who can’t walk a milion steps I’d say leave this part for the next day as it was tired but nothing worse than what I’ve done around Europe.
5pm – return kimono (I had enough time to take the train/bus but was tired so did a quick taxi back, either way it would have worked fine). Bonus point if you buy a hair accessory in Sannenzaka, just add it in to your already finished hairstyle and you get to prolong the magic!
Might be much for some but honestly I faired relatively well and even got a lot of steps in! If you think you’ll struggle with the shoes (I was fine) bring your own as backup! I normally don’t use taxis but my priority was to not tire myself out with the trains and walking to/from stations, and focus on the ‘main event’. They always were only a minute wait and cost less than 5,000 total. Also even though it’s busy I could easily take pictures in all the places and didn’t have to wait long at all.
Overall a 10/10 experience for me and now I’m ready for a beer at an izakaya 😅
by TacyTheQueen