Kyoto 3-day Itinerary Check

8 comments

1. Lucky you with your visa. For Osaka you can see the Castle and various other things with that amount of time. The transport is mostly good especially if you plan a route in the city.

2. >Fushimi Inari Taisha
   (Walk to) Ginkaku-ji

   That’s 7km walk. Uphill.

   >Kiyomizu Dera

   And that’s a lot of backtrack. Kiyomizu-dera is roughly in the middle of Fushimi Inari and Ginkaku-ji.

   >I am entering Japan on a short-term business temporary visitor visa for a period of 15 days. I will be spending the first 10 days in Tokyo for work and heading straight to Kyoto.

   Are you on a budget or something? Taking Shinkansen would be much less tiring than taking the night bus, especially when you have a full day of sightseeing ahead. The last Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto leave around 9.20pm so unless you have dinner party it shouldn’t be a problem.

   Have you been to Japan during summer before? Don’t underestimate the heat and the humid. You will get tired very quickly.

   >Or will I be better off loosening my schedule to appreciate Kyoto at a slower pace and/or get to see other sites?

   I don’t think you necessarily need to loosen your schedule. But just take it easy — don’t rush to try to make everything on the list. Especially if this will be your first time in Kyoto.

   >Assuming that I will arrive at Osaka back from Koyasan around 3pm, do you have any recommendations for the notable sites of Osaka that I can take a quick look at while I wait for my bus departure time (~10.25pm)?

   Plenty. Osaka Castle. Umeda Sky Building. Tsutenkaku/American-mura Osaka has plenty of evening/night attractions.

3. If you get in Arashiyama early, you will want to start by the bamboo grove as Tenryu-ji only open at 8:30 and Okochi sanso at 9am. Also keep in ming that going from Arashiyama to Kinkaku-ji to Nishiki market will take a total of 1h to 1h30.

   The afternoon of the first day is a bit odd, because you say “east Kyoto” across the river from Nishiki market, well, that is Higashiyama.

   Second day, Fushimi Inari-taisha is not at a walking distance from Ginkaku-ji. If you want to do the full hike on Mount Inari, then just do that in the morning and afternoon in Higashiyama.

   Went to the Mausoleum of Emperor Meiji as I was nearby, but that is nothing special, to be honest just skip it.

   If you are mostly interested in the Buddhist cuisine, then I am pretty sure you can find restaurant in Kyoto that serve it. Going to Mount Koya I think you also need to be interested in the different things you can see around there and of course staying in a temple can be an interesting experience, but that too I would guess you can do it in Kyoto if you want. So if you are not sure about going to Mount Koya but still want to experience the temple stay and the food, then look to do it in Kyoto. Then you can use your 2 days in Kyoto or you can easily do a daytrip to Osaka, Nara, Kobe, or other nearby location.

   To know what to do in Osaka

   [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html)

   [https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/osaka/](https://www.japan.travel/en/destinations/kansai/osaka/)

   [https://osaka-info.jp/en/](https://insideosaka.com/)

   [https://en.japantravel.com/osaka](https://en.japantravel.com/osaka)

4. I personally would avoid Kyoto in August. It is too hot for me. If you are able, spend time in the mountains as much as possible. I went to Mt. Hebi outside of Kyoto, and it was much cooler than the city.

5. Great itinerary. Here are some thoughts. 🙂 I travel to Japan and teach a course about it annually. I lived there for a few years too.

   Your first day is a little light. I would suggest The Moss temple, get to Kodaiji temple – awesome history and a beautiful bamboo grove. Nijo Castle is great.

   If you can see a hyper Kabuki play: [https://www.kabukiweb.net/theatres/minamiza/performance/august_3.html](https://www.kabukiweb.net/theatres/minamiza/performance/august_3.html)

   Fushimi inure is nice, but it isn’t work it if you are on a tighter timeline. I love it there though.

   Do Pontocho at night: [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3921.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3921.html) My advice is grab dinner at one of theirs/restaurants here. there are little alley ways along this street, don’t be shy, walk down them. You will find awesome food and drink. Gion is a short distance from there, you will be surprised how quickly you will walk through it.

   Tenryu-ji Temple is nice, but there are others that are just as good if not better. Omihachinman is a beautiful and unique place and on the way to Hikone castle. This is an original castle, unlike Osaka castle which has an inspiring history, but rebuilt after WWII.

   It is expensive, but it is worth it stay one night here, book now. [https://www.insidekyoto.com/how-to-book-tawaraya-ryokan](https://www.insidekyoto.com/how-to-book-tawaraya-ryokan) It is the best Ryokan in Japan. Food and service will blow you away. I promise.

   I think that a day trip is great, but it is going to be a stretch. I lived in Kyoto for a few years and didn’t get to see everything. That said, I have been to Koyason, it is amazing. However, if I had to choose between Koyasan or Miyajima, I would do Miyajima. You get the mystique of Koyason and more.

   Temple stays: [https://jw-webmagazine.com/temple-lodging-5-best-temples-to-stay-near-kyoto-f8dab62b3a7e/](https://jw-webmagazine.com/temple-lodging-5-best-temples-to-stay-near-kyoto-f8dab62b3a7e/) The temple stay is amazing. However the stay at a Ryokan is just as good. No Zen, so if that is a must do it. If you like Zen, grab these books: [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781466874664/theemptymirror](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781466874664/theemptymirror)

   [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/152909.A_Glimpse_of_Nothingness](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/152909.A_Glimpse_of_Nothingness)

   Or, if you like fiction: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62798.The_Temple_of_the_Golden_Pavilion](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62798.The_Temple_of_the_Golden_Pavilion)

   They are short and easy enough to read when you are there.

   You are going at a time right between major festivals. [https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/august/](https://www.discoverkyoto.com/event-calendar/august/) Which is great news, because it is unbelievable how busy it gets.

   Tokyo: I could suggest 100 places. However, if you want an awesome day trip that often gets overlooked is: [https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3801.html](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3801.html)

6. I think you made the correct choice to skip Koyasan. It’s a fantastic place, but the commute will cost you too much time, I believe more than you budgeted.

   A couple of recommendations for you, spend a little more on a fancy =overnight bus, with a fully reclining seat and some space between you and your neighbour. It’s definitely worth an extra 3000 yen to arrive refreshed as you will need your energy for the day ahead. You might even consider getting a good night’s sleep in Tokyo, then taking the first shinkansen in the morning. I’ve done that bus ride multiple times and it’s a slog. Some trips I’ve found the day after doing the overnighter commute were a wash because I was so tired, especially in the summer.

   My other recommendation is to get a bike. I’ve used bussed all over Kyoto, and the system is good, but during my past few visits I’ve really enjoyed the freedom bicycles offer. Kyoto isn’t that big, at least the distances between the places you will be visiting.

   You might also think about skipping Nishiki market in favour of grabbing something to eat in Arashiyama and then continuing exploring the area further. There are a few really neat temples up there like Adashino Nenbutsu-ji and Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple that you will have mostly to yourself and are very neat. The crowds shouldn’t be too bad due to the current restrictions, but quietly experiencing a less popular temple is really nice

   As another poster mentioned I’d also skip the Mausoleum of Emperor Meiji ; as an alternative, if you changed your schedule days there’s a little the market on the 25th of every month at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine might be interesting for you, it should give you a little of the festival feeling of Kyoto without actually attending one. You might also find a souvenir worth bringing home.

   I also second skipping that trek between Fushimi and Kinkakujji, it’s long even on a bike and there’s nothing especially interesting along the way.

   A little note about Kiyomizu, it’s open a little later than other temples, so if I’m showing friends around that neighbourhood I save it until last. You’ll miss out on some of the shops in the neighbourhood, but it gives you a little extra time somewhere else.

   One last thing, give yourself at least a few hours to wander around one of the areas you’re visiting. Kyoto is full of memorable gems which don’t warrant a guidebook entry that really defines a trip. Walking, or biking, around/between Arashiyama and Sagano is one option. The philosopher’s path is another area that can be fun to wander. I’ve also recently enjoyed walking around the Kennin-ji Temple area or Gion at night. Give yourself some time in an area to wander and discover something without your itinerary.

   Have fun!

7. While a shukubō at Kōyasan is nice, and Kōyasan in general is amazing it did feel a bit too hotel-/businesslike when I was there, due to the popularity of it it feels like a little bit of the spirituality of it has been lost. Might have just been my experience though.

   The best shukubō I’ve had was at Hagurosan, the first mountain of the Dewa Sanzan pilgrimage. I was the only guest so when I ate my shojin ryori I ate together with the staff and a cat staying at the shrine.

   During the morning ceremony I was allowed to pray by myself to the kami and share a bottle of sake with the kannushi priests. ☺

   If you ever get the chance to go to Yamagata I highly recommend it.

   If you enjoy hiking I also recommend doing the Kumano Kodō pilgrimage and perhaps save Kōyasan for that time as it connects to one of it’s trails (the most difficult one though). But it’s not to difficult to go from there to the start of the nakahechi route which is the most popular of the routes.

   A tip in general though if you enjoy temples and shrines and plan to visit several of them is to get a go-shuinchō (temple seal book), you can find them at most temples and shrines. Then you can “collect” go-shuin (temple seals). It will be a very special memory and I wish I had done so for my first two trips to Japan, I only started the practice on my pilgrimage trip.

8. If you go to Koyasan in the future make sure to buy the World heritage pass. I highly recommend Fudo-in temple to stay at as well. The food is spectacular

   https://www.nankaikoya.jp/en/stations/ticket.html

   Fudo-in
   0736-56-2414
   https://goo.gl/maps/AmV9GpVzYEVQuswj6