I’ve already spent 2 days in Kyoto, and I need some advice on planning my next 2 days here.
I have covered
DAY 1: Gion hanamikoji , PONTOCHO alley, more Gion streets
DAY 2: Kiyomizudera temple, Higashiyama district (not sure but if it’s the street or food, Souvenir stores right next to the Kiyomizudera temple then yes),fushimi inari at night.
DAY3: I was thinking of going to the bamboo forest, nishiki market in the evening, then explore idk what at night , any suggestions
DAY4: I’m not sure if I should do a day trip to Nara, or do other stuff I haven’t done like the philosophers path.
note: I’m travelling with a group of 9 and we love walking (35k step average)
6 comments
If you like walking …on day 4 .. you can do Fushimi inari in the early morning, then take the train to Nara.
On the way back from Nara, do a quick stop over at Uji and then back to Kyoto.
That should be about 35 k steps 😂
Day 3 – after arashiyama, you can go to the golden pavilion.. and then get to Nishiki via a bus.
Most of the food stalls at Nishiki market close around 5-6pm so you should try to go there earlier in the day and not in the evening.
Nishiki Market is actually really dope. Don’t miss that. Also, feeding the monkeys at the top of Arashiyama monkey park > bamboo forest (plus killer views of all of Kyoto!). Bamboo forest was a let down for me and my group because it feels more like a patch of bamboo than a full forest.
Fushimi Inari is incredible and totally worth the hike up and down. I will say that the experience changes depending on time of day. The mood and color of going early in the morning at sunrise is very different from late morning when people show up and the sun is really out. My photos are more muted because of going at 6am, but I got some really rare shots of a single gate being lit up by a break in the trees while the sun rose. Also had privacy being up early! No photobombers. Something to consider!
Go do Nara. Other than the deer, do the short walk to Toudaiji to see the hall with the gigantic Buddha. I’m honestly not one for temples but that’s probably one of my favorites just from the sheer size of the statue. Plus the walk is pretty nice and you can get some Cremia ice cream along the way.
Have you considered Kuramadera and then hiking to Kibune or going to Enryakuji and then hiking down to the Shiga side of the mountain?