Ideas for Itinerary in Kioto

18 comments

1. It seems a waste, really. Kyoto isn’t about just ticking off the most famous places so much as the things in between.

   My instinct would be to take your time at Fushimi Inari, then go to Gion (the geisha district) in the *evening*. Then go to Kinkaku-ji early the next morning and spend the rest of the day in Arashiyama – which isn’t too far away. Make sure to properly explore Arashiyama, though, especially the area up towards Toriimoto and Adashino Nenbutsuji, rather than just seeing the bamboo and then leaving.

   This wouldn’t hit Kiyomizu-dera, but it would give you the other two while also leaving you time to wander about in two separate old town ish areas rather than ticking boxes.

   Alternatively, if you really want Kiyomizu-dera, you could go there on the first day and then go to Inari in the evening (it doesn’t close). You could then spend the second day as above, or alternatively, go back to Gion and Higashiyama rather than trekking out west.

2. I’d consider it to be somewhere between extremely optimistic to impossible to land at Narita at 6:20am and be at Kyoto station by 11:30am, especially if you are using budget options. Plus you wouldn’t be able to check in at most hotels that early anyways.

3. Fushimi will need at least 2-3 hours so it would be doable if you are happy seeing Gion at night.

   I would try and give more time to Kyoto as its a lot more enjoyable if you can take your time to wander around rather than rushing to key spots. But if you want to rush then my suggestion would be to do Higashi Hongan-ji > Kiyomizu-Dera > Gion on day 1 (the walk between Kiyomizu-Dera and Gion is nice so you should do them together). On day 2 head to Fushimi Inari as early as you can. After that head to Kinkakuji and then the Bamboo Forest. It will be rushed but doable.

4. If you ask me, this seems quite rushed. I would personally plan two full days for Kyoto, one for Arashiyama and Kinkaku-ji and one for Higashiyama. Fushimi Inari could be done on an extra day or for example after returning from Nara if you go to Nara or even early in the morning of the Higashiyama day (as you want to avoid going in the middle of the day).

   For a 9 days trip, I would personally consider just staying in the Kansai area and this could also save you money as you would likely not need a JR Pass (a regional pass at best). Last time I went to Japan, it was the same price for me to fly to Osaka or Tokyo. Even if there is no direct flight, just search for tickets to Osaka and you will just have to make a connection somewhere, for example it could be in Tokyo or even in California.

   Why do you plan to stay around Kyoto station ? There is actually not that much to see around compared to other area. I would consider staying around Kawaramachi/Gion/Sanjo, that is an area where there would be much more to do at the end of the day, even if just walking to Yasaka shrine and Gion, or eating in Pontocho.

   Doing all what you said in two days (including the day you fly in Japan) seems quite optimistic if you ask me, I would take a bit more time to see and enjoy it.

   And yes, many of the interesting things in Kyoto are in different area, so I think you should pend more time in each area and spread the different area over several days, like 2-3 days is a minimum just to see the highlight and you can easily add 2-3 more days to go a bit deeper.

5. With only 9 nights I ***STRONGLY*** recommend picking ***either Kanto or Kansai, not both***. This is especially true if you’re on a budget and planning to do things like theme parks. And if budget is really a big concern, I would sooner spend less money moving around the country and extend your trip with the savings.

   In Kansai I typically recommend ***at least*** 3 full days just for the highlights of urban Kyoto alone, plus an additional 3 full days for day trips to Nara, Osaka, and Himeji (plus maybe Kobe or more Osaka/Kyoto in the latter half of the day). And again, that would just be a starting point, not including things like USJ. Right now you’re planning to do Kyoto in maybe a day and half (assuming you make extremely good time and aren’t completely wiped out from jet lag) and skip everything else.

   If Kyoto and USJ are important to you, I recommend skipping Kanto entirely on this trip and focusing completely on Kansai. If, on the other hand, you’re just planning to do a day in Kyoto and a day at an American theme park before rushing back to Tokyo, I’d sooner recommend skipping Kansai altogether for this trip and just spending a day (and maybe a night) in Kamakura instead. Kyoto is so much worse when you rush it, and there is so much to do in Kansai that it feels like a complete waste to just spend one day there and then turn around and go back to Tokyo.

   As to the specifics of what I would do if I only had 1-2 days in Kyoto: I would skip Higashi Hongan-ji (not a whole lot to see there) and stay somewhere closer to downtown (e.g., Gion-Shijo/Kawaramachi) so that more is in easy walking distance. I would focus pretty much entirely on the eastern side of the city (e.g., from Kiyomizu in the south up to Ginkaku-ji in the north, and from Nishiki in the west over to Yasaka in the east). I would definitely skip Kinkaku-ji (it’s famous, but it’s also fairly small, somewhat annoying to get to, and arguably the most crowded single sight in the entire city), and I would save Fushimi Inari for either very early in the morning (before sunrise if you can) or the evening since it doesn’t close and is great at night too.

   Again, I really don’t recommend cramming Kyoto into such a short time, but this plan at least gives you a ton to do while not wasting your time running all over the city. You can pretty much do this entire area on foot or bicycle (though I don’t recommend bikes around the Kiyomizu/Yasaka area or Nishiki Market). This also doesn’t take into consideration special events such as festivals (e.g., Jidai Matsuri on the 22nd), flea markets (e.g., Kobo-san on the 21st, Tenjin-san on the 25th), illuminations/night openings (e.g., Kodai-ji), for which you would typically need even more time.

   ~~Most importantly, ***are you even going to be able to get in the country?*** Last I heard, Japan was still requiring a two week quarantine for all foreign passport holders.~~ (Disregard–I misread the date) I really don’t think you’ll be getting started as early as you think on the first day. Even if your plane arrives on time and you make all of your connections perfectly (despite being completely unfamiliar with the language and transit system and having never been to these stations before), immigration and customs can take a very long time. And that’s during normal circumstances–it’s bound to be worse during COVID. Then you get to Kyoto, but you’ll only be at the station. By the time you get to your hotel, drop off your bags, and get on transit to your first attraction, it will likely be early-mid afternoon.

6. Ginkakugi>Kinkakugi IMO hiking Daimonji for sunrise or sunset is an awesome way to get perspective too. Go get the Stinky Ramen too. Nagahama Ramen Miyoshi

7. I love Ryōan-ji 龍安寺. Highly recommend it when you are in Kyoto.

8. The first day will be tough. Did you ever travel for this long? When traveling from Europe to Japan, I always need a day of rest. But I guess it’s easier for you since you’re moving the other way round the globe.
   Is it correct that you’re only going to tokyo for entering and exiting the country? You prolly have your reason but if you can fly directly to KIX would be so much better for you. You could save time and money for shinkansen ticket.

   In Kyoto I recommend the following at the same day (you can walk all the way): Kiyomizu-dera, Sannenzaka, Yasaka-jinja, Gion (geisha district), pontocho and Nishiki market. It will take 5-6 hours roughly.

9. soooo…

   okay, first, there is an argument to be made to either stick in tokyo or in kyoto. traveling between them costs time and money, and is maybe not the best idea for “only x days” and “budget” limits…

   now, Kyoto is beautiful, and you could spent weeks there and not see everything. And while it looks smallish and the bus network is elaborate, traveling from one region to the other can take substation time. depending on where, when, how often you need to switch the bus and so on.
   my point there is, sticking to a region is preferable, and switching regions, while doable, will cost time…

   a day that starts with should arrive at 1130, checkin, lunch, is already half over.

   fushimi inari – that can be done in an afternoon. and it wont close, so that works.
   If you are able to climb a mountain after a trip from far away, thats another question…

   doing gion later is doable, since its more or less a lot of restaurants, not too big, and only interesting in the evening. however, gion is the most expensive thing I found in kyoto. on a budget, I suggest walking through, and looking for some other place to eat….

   And while arashiyama is an awesome region, that you could spend a whole day in, and then some, the forest alone is meh.
   from arashiyama going to kinkaku-ji is suprising doable since the you can take the randen line (slow small train) and its not that far appart.
   and when you only go see the forest, and then head straight to kinkaku-ji, then yeah, it works and wont take toooo long.

   but it almost never works out like that. youve never been, walking takes time, rushing arashiyama is not easily done, finding the randen, understand where to switch the car when…

   anyway. youll get to kinkaku-ji. youll see it. your exit.
   it will be right at the point where, if you are really lucky, youll make it in time for kiyomizu.dera, or you might not and it will be closed when you reach it. if you are lucky it is open longer, that happens a few times each year, but october?

   I suggest a better day would be start with kinkaku-ji, then head to arashiyama and spend the remainder of the day there.

   I also suggest spending more days in Kyoto.

   Kiyomizu-dera and the area around it is another day to spend there…
   (and is close to gion…)

10. I can only speak from personal experience, but the Golden Pavillion is incredibly boring. I guess in bright sunlight it may look glittering and whatnot, but that’s about it. It’s just a gold painted replica of what was once there, you can only see it from a distance, and there are hordes of tourists there.

    I don’t regret going there tho, as when we walked away from it, with no real goal, we stumbled upon [Taizō-in temple garden](https://www.google.com/search?q=Taiz%C5%8D-in&client=safari&rls=en&sxsrf=AOaemvIUZg-BsnWdtAXiIdWlx6H1qlkjOw:1630049603614&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWo9v819DyAhXWCmMBHeHVDTgQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1398&bih=772), which is small, but stunning, and it made our day.

11. Catching the sunset at Fusjimi Inari is neat if you have the time fwiw

12. In Kyoto we only saw one real geisha and she was getting in a taxi and looked middle aged. It’s not a major experience if you are just walking about. Some people pay for all the makeup outfits and photo shoot though.

    Only 9 days why go to a theme park?

    My biggest suggestion is do fewer places with enough time to enjoy them. Get to arashiyama early as it’s gonna busy up.

13. Are you going to Japan just to see Kyoto?. If you wanted to see more, Nara is close by and is famous for its Deer Park.

    There is also Osaka and Kobe which are close to Kyoto. This is just if you are looking to see more of the Kansai region.

    And I hope that Japan is open by then for travel. The closed borders seem endless at this point.

14. Down the main street from Kyoto station, you should visit Higashi Honganji. It was worth the walk, and I believe it’s the largest wooden structure (or maybe temple/shrine) in the world. I tired to visit Nishi Honganji while in the area but it was closed for renovations back in 2019; hopefully you’ll have better luck.

15. If you fly into Osaka it is a short trip around under hour to Kyoto. No need for an expensive Jr rail pass. Get a suica or other similar card for the public transport. We stayed in airbnb not far from kiyomizu dera which meant a short walk to that and other temples. Accommodation had free shuttle from Kyoto station which made it easy but did not get to take some photos of station which I would have liked (not essential). As others have said be close to transport. You need to use buses more in Kyoto as it is spread out. Kyoto should not be rushed and I think a lot of charm is in taking your time round looking at shops and tasting foods.

16. Thanks everyone for your suggestions, there’s a lot of info to digest and I’ll take everyone comments into account. I haven’t been able to respond to everyone because of work, but throughout the weekend I’ll go through the thread in more detail.

17. Here was my itinerary for my brother and I’s trip to japan. We did Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo with a stop in Nara and Kobe.

    [https://docs.google.com/document/d/13ZLlczD_6L48TJPU2oKOihBM93cR9VEJdV1cfVyexsQ/edit](https://docs.google.com/document/d/13ZLlczD_6L48TJPU2oKOihBM93cR9VEJdV1cfVyexsQ/edit)

    You’ll probably find the notes on Nara and Osaka interesting.

    Nara notes

    In Nara

    * Nara Park – See the deer!
    * Todai-ji Temple
    * Isui-en Garden
    * Kasuga-taisha Shrine (768 AD) closer to the mountains but within Nara Park
    * Kofuku-ji (710 AD) pagoda

    Osaka Notes

    In Osaka

    * Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street (Japan’s longest shopping mall – by mall)
    * Dōtonbori (Can’t miss it, just south of Hotel) Ichiran (Ramen) okonomiyaki/takoyaki (food)
    * Osaka Castle
    * Shitennoji (593A.D. Buddhist Temple) – near Tennoji JR station (Osaka Loop Line via JR Namba)
    * Osaka Museum of Housing and Living – 1 mile from Osaka Station
    * Nambayasaka Shrine (LionHead Shrine) (2500ft From JR Namba Station)
    * America-mura (Next to dotonbori western style area)
    * DenDen Town – Osaka’s Akihabara
    * PC & Retro Bar Space Station
    * Asahi Beer – Brewery near Suita Station on the JR Kyoto Line – Free tour and 3 glasses of beer!

18. I would consider the price of shikashen tickets becuase those are expensive. Additionally Tokyo is massive we spent 14 days and still left not feeling like we saw much at all. I personally would recommend saving the money you would spend on train tickets and universal and booking experiences in Tokyo.

    We are in the midst of keeping our fingers tightly crossed to be allowed to go to kyoto/osaka in April so will let you know if it is worth cramming in.