8 comments

1. Looks busy, but fun! Leave time around Arashiyama to explore the little stalls and restaurants near the beginning of the path. Same for Fushimi Inari, there are a ton of little shops and stalls to explore around the area outside the temple. And in general, I too scheduled likely dining spots but just ended up following my nose and eyes and eating at places that I found along the way. Never had a bad meal. And 7/11 or Lawson are perfect for breakfast. Lastly, give yourself time to wander and just feel the spirit of the areas you are in. Fushimi Inari is this way, I found it to be a very special place for me.

2. Hey, looks like you’ve got a solid plan for Kyoto! Your itinerary covers the major highlights, which is great for a 3-day trip. Day 1 in Gion and Higashiyama is packed but doable, those areas are close together. Day 2 balances temples with Fushimi Inari, smart move hitting that at sunset. Food-wise, don’t forget to try conveyor belt sushi and grab some matcha soft serve in Gion! Kyoto’s amazing. I bet you’re gonna have an amazing time and I hope you will!

3. I think it looks good, but I’d keep in mind (or create, if it doesn’t yet exist) a distinction between must-see places and secondary objective places.

   Some of the temples are more like complexes and are sizable and could soak up some time. If you’re enjoying a place, I wouldn’t necessarily rush it so you can make it to “another temple”.

   Maybe do day 1 in reverse and see kiyomizu first (I’m assuming that’s considered mandatory), that way you won’t feel a time crunch working down the list of the other temples and shrines.

4. Kinkaku-Ji sucked.

5. Day 3 looks crazy to me, unless you tour temples and shrines like Japanese Middle School students. 

6. I would flip your first day. Kiyomizu Dera gets PACKED with tour bus people. Do it before 9am to avoid the crowds

7. Is Maruyama Park actually worth it in october? Not dissing it, we got there in the middle of cherry bloom and it was great, but I wonder if it’s worth spending time walking through it outside of it.

   With only 3 days, I’m not sure I’d bother with Ginkaku-ji and PP as opposed to hitting some specific temples closer to each other that you pre-scout, or going to Byodo-In before Fushimi (since Uji isn’t that far from it).

8. I´m going to Japan in November and have a similar itinerary to Kyoto… as people say Fushimi Inari gets packed by the end of the day, I think I prefer to see it by night because of the lights and the “mystic” atmosphere of the darkness lol. Sightseeing wise, I think your itinerary covered everything, but food wise, I would add these places:

   * Maccha House (if you like Matcha ofc)
   * Teppan Tavern (Wagyu A5 – look into their website, the reservation process is a little bit tricky and depends on luck, but it´s worth a try since Wagyu A5 is a very expensive meat, imo this place offers it at a reasonable price)
   * Menbaka Fire Ramen (they put fire in ramen, as I saw in videos, it looks really cool and a different experience)
   * Ramen Sen-no-kaze (arrive there early, since it gets crowded)
   * Nishiki Market (very touristic, but if you arrive early it´s all good…. I want to try the fresh fish)

   for now, these are the places that I saved to go