Planning to visit Kyoto in the Fall with my wife. We're looking for a mix of fun and relaxation. Here's my tentative "to do" list. Anything else I'm missing? Which options should I skip or is overrated?
- Visit a temple or two – we're not big on Temples or palaces, IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE OR TWO, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?!
- Fushimi Inari Shrine Hike Through Torii Gates – does it get very crowded?
- Shop at Nishiki Market – is this something that you need to spread out in multiple visits to get the full experience?
- Monkey Park Iwatayama – do monkeys randomly run up to you?
hot springs –are there private hot springs for a couple?- Wander through the Gion District – sites say "wander", but what can you actually do there? Also, can you rent a kimono/Yukata for photo ops?
- Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – does it get very crowded?
- Fushimi Sake District – are there free tours w/ free samples? LOL …and in English too?
- Toei Kyoto Studio Park – seems cheesy in a good way, but is it though?
Please no: loud nightlife (we are pretty lowkey, chill. quiet lounges or small pubs suit us best), museums (we've done so many museums during our travels, we prefer to avoid), places to "people watch", shopping malls (been there, done that), super tall towers (from the Space Needle to Taipei 101, the views are nice, but surely there's gotta be more interesting stuff?)
by [deleted]
15 comments
* Go to Uji if matcha is your thing.
* Toei is cheesy in a good way!
* My personal favourite is just hanging out on/around Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama. Personal favourite temple is Ninna-ji.
* There’s a confectionary shop in Gion called [Gion Koishi](https://www.kansai360.net/en/?p=71). Yummy stuff!
I love Kyoto so much, say hello to her for me.
After Fushimi-Inari, Kinkaku-ji (just restored).
Definitely do Philosopher’s Walk (as you are low key and chilled and you’ll love it).
Len Kyoto Karawachi has a great, chilled, hipster-like bar on the ground floor (very good).
I like strolling around ninen-zaka & sannen-zaka especially when it’s not very crowded.
Hire a push bike and ride around along the river and get lost riding through the suburbs
EDIT: I get messages about this comment several times a week. Glad it’s been helpful for everyone, but I’m editing out some info that too many people were asking questions about. I’ll leave some of the arashiyama stuff. Please don’t message me with questions about this, I can’t take the time to respond any more, please understand. Seriously, I can’t believe the hundred of messages this one comment generated over the past few years!
Do more in Arashiyama than just the bamboo forest and the bridge.
Get a taxi from the JR Arashiyama station to Otagi Nenbutsuji. It’s doable on foot, but it’s all uphill and you’ll waste time. There’s a bus but it only goes once and hour. Just pay the 1000 yen and take a taxi. Trust me.
Otagi is one of the best things in Kyoto. Period.
From there, walk DOWNHILL 🙂 into Arashiyama proper. You’ll pass good stuff:.
You’ll arrive at the bamboo forest, which is absurdly crowded usually. You’ll take a few pics and walk through ready for lunch.
Finish with a walk through the back entrance of Tenryuji. Just the garden, not the additional indoor entry ticket.
– There are so many temples in Kyoto that you might as well choose the other things you want to do first, and then just choose from temples in your area. It seems like you don’t like crowded places, so the top draws like Kiyomizu, Kinkakuji might not be the best choices (if you go early in the morning, however, tourists are pretty sparse). Since you mention the Fushimi-Inari hike, I’d suggest Tofukuji. The Fushimi-Inari main path is a big loop and near the top there’s an alternate path that branches off leads down the mountain to around Tofukuji. Assuming you have a smartphone it should be pretty easy to find.
– Fushimi-Inari, especially the torii path, doesn’t get too crowded because it’s a big area.
– Similarly, Arashiyama bamboo forest isn’t too bad either, but the Arashiyama area in general can get pretty hairy, especially in red-leaves season (roughly mid-November to early December). Actually, Tofukuji area is crowded then too.
– Nishiki market? You certainly don’t need to go there more than once. It’s not that big, and if you don’t like crowds, you’ll be pulling your hair out within 15 minutes here.
– Monkey Park – I don’t know if you can call it “random”, because it’s a *monkey park*, but yes, monkeys run up to you.
– Saké “district” – there’s actually only a few breweries that function as tourist spots. None of them are amazing but it’s a nice experience.
– Gion: wander is what you do. You go for the historical atmosphere (also shops & temples). Can you rent kimonos? Yes, yes you can.
Sushi making class! Good fun and crosses a lunch off the list too 😉
DM me if you want a recommendation for one.
5 days in Kyoto or 5 days in Kansai? For Kyoto itself, I think 5 days is a reasonable amount of time, but if you’re using it as a base for Kansai I would recommend at least a couple more for at least day trips to Nara, Osaka, and Himeji (possibly with Kobe).
For Kyoto itself, I answered almost this exact question a couple of years ago in [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3). I do not recommend treating this like a check list, but I think it’s a very good way to break up the some of the major sights in the city.
>Planning to visit Kyoto in the Fall with my wife.
When ***specifically***? There’s a massive difference between, for example, visiting in late September and visiting in early December–both in terms of weather and in terms of things to do/see.
>Visit a temple or two – we’re not big on Temples or palaces, IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE OR TWO, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?!
I would not choose just one or two. There are simply too many really good ones, and while the most famous ones are certainly worth going to, many of my favorites are not among the most famous. There’s a lot more to Kyoto than just temples and shrines, but I think you’re robbing yourself if you limit yourself to only a couple. Also, season factors in. I have my favorites, but I’ll hold off on recommendations until I have a clearer idea of your dates.
>Fushimi Inari Shrine Hike Through Torii Gates – does it get very crowded?
In the midday, it definitely can (especially towards the bottom–much less so as you go further in). If you go in the early morning or evening it’s much less crowded. I used to live right next to it and my absolute favorite time to go was about an hour or so before dawn. That way you get to experience it both illuminated at night (completely different from during the day) and in the early morning glow, while also basically having the place to yourself.
>Shop at Nishiki Market – is this something that you need to spread out in multiple visits to get the full experience?
Not really, but there is a lot of shopping to be had around Nishiki Market as well, especially in Shinkyogoku/Teramachi, so if you like the shopping experience I could see making multiple trips (especially if you stay nearby, which definitely isn’t a bad idea).
>Monkey Park Iwatayama – do monkeys randomly run up to you?
Not really. They may approach you, but they’re not aggressive in my experience.
>hot springs – are there private hot springs for a couple?
Kyoto isn’t really known for its hot springs, but I’m sure if you looked around you could find some higher end ryokan or something that has private hot springs (maybe Kurama?).
>Wander through the Gion District – sites say “wander”, but what can you actually do there?
Shop, eat, drink, enjoy the sights, soak in the atmosphere, see the temples and shrines, see a Geiko/Maiko or Kabuki performance (depending on time of year), do some kind of experience (e.g., pottery making, sweets making, tea ceremony).
I also highly recommend going back at night. It’s really gorgeous when lit up and very peaceful once the crowds die down.
>Also, can you rent a kimono/Yukata for photo ops?
Yes.
>Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – does it get very crowded?
Yes, although if you go relatively early it isn’t bad at all. Also keep in mind that the one famous bamboo street is by far the most crowded area and that the Sagano/Arashiyama is fairly large but many tourists congregate in just one part of it. If you do the most famous path early in the morning and then wander around elsewhere (e.g., up to Sagatoriimoto) you’ll probably enjoy it much more.
>Fushimi Sake District – are there free tours w/ free samples? LOL …and in English too?
I don’t know about guided tours, but you can definitely go to the Gekkeikan Museum for 400 yen and there are sake samples there if I recall correctly. In the past I’ve been offered sake samples at Nishiki Market, temple markets, and festivals as well.
>Toei Kyoto Studio Park – seems cheesy in a good way, but is it though?
It’s fine for what it is, but I wouldn’t personally prioritize it over the real historical sights.
>Please no: loud nightlife (we are pretty lowkey, chill. quiet lounges or small pubs suit us best), museums (we’ve done so many museums during our travels, we prefer to avoid), places to “people watch”, shopping malls (been there, done that), super tall towers (from the Space Needle to Taipei 101, the views are nice, but surely there’s gotta be more interesting stuff?)
Then Kyoto is perfect for you. There are some loud nightlife things like clubs and rock bars and such (around Kiyamachi and in Gion on the north side of Shijo), but the vast majority of Kyoto’s nightlife is more laid-back eating and drinking.
Fall would be a perfect time to visit Yase! It’s off the beaten path a bit, and way up north, but totally worth the views and you probably won’t see the same crowds as in the more famous places. Otherwise, I would suggest visiting Kamigamo Shrine and walking around Kamogawa. There’s a craft fair every last Sunday of the month, and sometimes there’s a special horse there that you can feed carrots. If you can’t make it all the way up to Kamigamo, Shimogamo Shrine is super beautiful and the local station (Demachiyanagi) is within walking distance to lots of interesting shops.
There’s an antique market in Okazaki once a month too (can’t remember the day, maybe first Thursday of the month?) They’ll have lots of cool antiques to dig through and for very reasonable prices. From there you can go to the zoo, a couple of museums, a couple a temples and do some shopping.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is a must see. I’ve taken several people to the monkey park and it’s either hit or miss. If you really like monkeys then you should go. If you’re lukewarm about monkeys and don’t like climbing up mountains, it might not be the right activity for you. Arashiyama is worth the visit, especially in fall. You can rent kimonos near all the tourist spots.
As far as onsen go, Kyoto city is not really known for having any real hot springs. I would save that for a trip to a different part of the country. Have fun!
You might like Camellia tea ceremony: [https://tea-kyoto.com/](https://tea-kyoto.com/)
Maybe don’t come when there’s a world wide pandemic going on??? It’s not going to get better “in the fall”
I recommend Shōgunzaka. You can overlook the entire city.
So I was at the Gion district just recently, at night, and I don’t know if I missed something but there was no one there. I’ve never been in a city before and have been like “where are all the people?” And yet it was deserted. I still wondered around for a few hours – like 6-9pm, but it was weird. Few things were open and I was on the main strip and went down some of the alley ways etc… no one was there and nothing was happening. I wouldn’t go back.
Chfjjcjf v 😁
Hi! Thanks so much for this post and for all of the comments. We did this in May 2024 and loved it. Barely any crowds and got to see the beauty of old Kyoto. Taxi was 1200 yen from the station. We stopped at the Cocoon Shop too and the shop is a super cute and has nice, reasonably priced gifts.