Kyoto Itinerary Check

I’ll be travelling to Japan for the first time in July and need feedback for my Kyoto itinerary. Please let me know if there’s anything should skip or add. I’m trying to start my days early to avoid crowds. Also, if you have any food recommendations, that would be awesome. Thanks!

Day 1: Kyoto – arriving around noon
Nishiki Market
Gion

Day 2: Arayashima – Start at 7AM
Bamboo Grove (see Gio-ji/Otagi Nenbutu Temples)
Tenryu-Ji Garden
Lunch
Monkey Park
Kinkakuji

Day 3: Fushimi Inari and Uji Day Trip – Start at 6:30AM
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Byodo-in Temple
Itoh-Kyuemon

Day 4: Nara – Start at 6:30AM
Todai-ji Temple (Tegai-mon Gate, Great Buddha Hall, Todai-ji Nigatsu-do)
Lunch/Nakatanidou
Nara Park
Yoshikien Garden?

Day 5: Kyoto – Start at 7
Kiyomizudera
Kodai-ji
Nineizaka/Sannenzaka
Maruyama Park?
Yasaka Shrine?

6 comments
  1. I think reasonably paced and nicely done!

    Some suggestions: can add moss temple and Katsura Imperial Villa. Both requires advance reservation however. Kennin-Ji temple arguably one of the most beautiful temple in Kyoto.

    I am personally skipping Kinkakuji as it is a bit out of the way and fairly small (not much to explore other than the photo you have seen on the internet).

  2. Will you be in Kyoto during the festival? If so, how wil that impact your plans?

  3. Hi,

    so lets see, first impression is, not too full, lots of possibilities to explore, but also, room for optimization or rather, I believe, you did not entirely write it out in order?

    day 1 is fine. i see lots of opportunities to explore and shop. dont be afraid to not rush to gion. there are a lot of shopping opportunities, also along the way if you were to walk (but it is a good distance), be sure to head to yasaka shrine

    day 2
    if you want to use the early start then travel to gio-ji/otagi first. then head to tenryuji (opens 8:30). you will see “the” bamboo grove when you exit tenryuji (garden) on the backside entrance. going to the bamboo grove, then heading to otagi, then back to tenryuji you would “backtrack” a little
    not sure if you have time to see kinkakuji after the monkey park. you will find out.

    day 3. you will have plenty of time in uji. should you happen to go “yeah, im done here, lets go back” and its like 1-2pm you could head to fushimi and visit the sake museum? or to another poi in kyoto? kinkakuji if you missed it earlier? ginkakuji ?

    day 4. its fine

    day 5.
    this one is stuffed. but the essence of it is fine.

    in general. early starts are good. but… you will also find that getting up early may not be as easy as you think. especially after walking so much. and on holiday. and when you get up at like 6 and stand in front of the entrance at like 7 and they open at 9… so make sure to know when stuff opens, you can google it when lying in bed the day before…

  4. The monkey park is up a very steep hill. I would switch it with the bamboo forest… but that’s just my personal take on any sort of exercise after eating.

  5. My biggest piece of advice for Kyoto is to try to do as much as possible on bicycle and go through the side streets rather than the main ones.

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