Would like some advice. I got some time off and want to hit up Kyoto before tourists come back. Can only really do August 6-10 so like 2 full days. I have a wife an toddler so we started planning early but I’m wondering if August will be too hot? Some friends say 6-10 will be too early for Obon which is good but yeah. We have never been to Kyoto before so curious about what others have done in Kyoto with a toddler and if we are crazy for thinking of doing an August trip.
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>I’m wondering if August will be too hot?
Yes, it will be too hot.
Kyoto is hell with a stroller. Obviously most temples and shrines don’t have elevators, most of the way to Kiyomizu is stairs and hills, unless you take the lower path. Arashiyama is fine except when you try to go in the bamboo forest, the ground is rocky and uneven. Nijo Castle, Toji, etc have large sections of ground with rocky paths.
If you stick to the modern stuff like the Railway Museum, Aquarium, Kyoto Tower, Kawaramachi shopping, the Kyogoku/Teramachi shopping streets, etc you’ll be fine.
Baby carriers are too hot for august too, so it’s difficult to give good advice. Just watch out for heat stroke
>want to hit up Kyoto before tourists come back
Domestic tourism is already back. The place is pretty crowded.
>I’m wondering if August will be too hot?
Would you walk around outside in the middle of the day in August with your child where you live? It would be a little hotter than that.
I made the mistake of visiting Kyoto in August just a few short months after I first moved to Japan. I will never make that mistake again. Wayyy too hot. And I can pretty much guarantee it’ll still be crowded, just with domestic tourists rather than foreign ones. I’d hold off on going there til the fall or spring for nicer weather.
Domestic tourism has returned to Kyoto so it is already crowded but not to pre pandemic levels. It’s extremely, miserably hot and humid in Kyoto in summer. I would wait until your child is older because you will probably have to carry them up and down many stairs. I recommend going somewhere cooler.
August in Kyoto is absolutely the worst. Insanely hot and humid. Even when there’s a breeze it just blows hot air at you. Go literally anywhere else and come back to Kyoto in the fall or spring.
Don’t overthink it. Go to Kyoto, and enjoy one day in the city and one in the countryside. Take the トãƒãƒƒã‚³åˆ—車 at Arashiyama to Kameoka, your toddler will love it.
I’m in Kyoto now for Gion Masturi and I can thank of all of those gods for making it mostly overcast and bearable.
Listen to everyone and do not go in August. Try Tohoku, Hokkaido or deep Kyushuu instead. You and your family will enjoy that a lot more.
Hello from Kyoto. I’m in Gion tonight with a toddler. Don’t come. The tourists are back and maskless. It’s too late, friend. It’s too late.
I spent a week exploring Kyoto last August. Yes it was excruciatingly hot, and yes I still enjoyed every moment.
I had too many green tea and pocari sweats to get through the days.
Don’t think Kyoto will make a great trip in August (heat) and especially with a toddler. Many of the sights aren’t very wheelchair/stroller friendly, and it’s going to be pretty packed. Would recommend holding off until the kid can walk all day or at least until a cooler season
I was just there over the 3 day weekend and it was pretty hot and humid. It wasn’t as bad because it was overcast the whole time. I was sweating just walking around Gion matsuri at night.
Brutally hot.
Kyoto is a gross sweat pit throughout summer. But if you really want to come, I recommend Potel as a place to stay. They are very kid friendly, have an indoor play area, and you’re already in Umekoji park close to the railway museum and aquarium. But not sure those attractions are especially ‘Kyoto’.
I’m in Kyoto today and spent much of the day at some of the temples, on a day when the sun was shielded by clouds for part of the time and there was a decent breeze.
Do. Not. Do. This. In. August.
Especially with a toddler.
Forget about rationalizations involving shade and whatnot. It’ll be incredibly brutal because of the humidity. Even today (which was a relatively gentle day, apparently) there were no toddlers at all and for good reason. Strollers won’t work due to the steps, the gravel, and the fact that you can’t wear shoes or bring strollers inside the temples. And making a toddler walk around for multiple kilometers at the height of summer in one of the most brutal summer climates in Japan is not going to go well.