Hello everyone,
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I would appreciate any comments or suggestions on my planned itinerary for Kyoto:
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Day 1 (arrival at 10.30am from Tokyo so not a full morning): Southern Higashiyama
* Southern Higashiyama walking tour. Be sure to stop at:
1. Kiyomizu-dera
2. Kasagiya
3. Hokan-ji
4. Ishibei-koji Lane
5. Kodai-ji Temple
6. Maruyama
7. Chion-in
8. Yasaka Shrine
9. Shoren-in
* Evening and dinner in Pontocho Alley
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Day 2: Arashiyama and Northern Higashiyama
* Start morning at Tenryu-ji Temple (opens at 9.00am. Any point in getting there earlier?)
* Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
* Okochi Sanso Garden
* Arashiyama Monkey Park (maybe skip if I want to do what’s next?)
* Head to Keage Station to start Northern Higashiyama walking tour and stop at:
1. Nanzen-ji
2. Eikan-do Temple (known for fall foliage but still worth it during the time I’m going?)
3. Philosopher’s Path
4. Honen-in
5. Ginkaku-ji
* Evening and dinner in Gion District
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Day 3 (heading back to Tokyo after sunset): Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Imperial Palace, and Downtown Kyoto
* Fushimi Inari-Taisha very early in the morning
* Kyoto Imperial Palace and Garden
* Nijo Castle
* Nishiki Market
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Notes:
* Kinkaku-ji is not on my list. I read it takes a while to get there, there isn’t much to do nearby, and it can get very crowded. Though, I am visiting in December and post-Covid so not sure if this still applies.
* I could do both Southern and Northern Higashiyama on Day 1 so that I could do Kinkaku-ji on Day 2 before or after Arashiyama, but that sounds like too many temples on Day 1.
1 comment
this might be just me, but it seems incredibly overcrowded with things to do and see, you are going to rush through everything without actually enjoying them. to me, even half of this would be way too much. if you just want one photo of each, google will do well enough ^^