Best place to watch the sunrise in Tokyo/Kyoto/Hiroshima?

25 comments

1. Hands down try to hike mt Fuji and stay overnight. Best part of my trip. The sunset and the sunrise are unreal

2. I like Mt. Takao in the Tokyo area.

3. Accommodation was very cheap when I was there in March around Fuji. Unbelievable.

4. For your itinerary, I suggest you don’t do a day trip to Himeji, just stop on the way to Hiroshima. My first trip I left Kyoto in the morning, stopped at Himeji for two hours, stopped at Okayama for the garden for two hours (also lovely), then got to Hiroshima.

   Also, taking the shinkansen from Hiroshima to Tokyo isn’t that big a deal, and is probably shorter door-to-door than taking a flight, if your JR Pass allows for that.

5. To be straight with you: I think this itinerary is extremely rushed. You could spend 3 weeks covering the area you’re doing in 11 days and still come out feeling rushed. I think you see a lot more by trying to do less. There are massive, unskippable things within very short distances of where you already are (e.g., Nara, Osaka) that you’re just flying by in your rush to move on to the next place, and even in Tokyo and Kyoto you’re kind of only giving yourself a bare minimum amount of time.

   >In Kyoto I saw that Fushimi Inari was a good place to watch the sunrise but in May the sun rises early around 4 AM and I wouldn’t be able to use public transit to get to it before sunrise since public transit is closed in the early morning. I also read that Kyoto was in a basin, so it might be harder to see the sunrise in a good location.

   The overlook from Fushimi Inari faces west, so you won’t be able to see the sunrise from there. That said, as someone who used to live literally right next to Fushimi Inari, before dawn is my absolute favorite time to go. The shrine has a completely different atmosphere at night compared to during the day, and going before dawn lets you experience both. The early morning light is also gorgeous, the birds will be singing and local cats will be coming out, and you’ll basically have the place to yourself.

   I’m actually not really aware of any specific, easily accessible places to see the sun rising in Kyoto because so many of the city’s sights are located along the eastern mountains (Higashiyama), and therefore face west. Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama has a decent view facing east, but it won’t be open in time for sunrise. If you were really motivated and physically fit, you could climb Mt. Hiei and get some amazing sunrise views over Lake Biwa, but it’ll take hours and you won’t have energy for much else. Similarly, Mt Rokko/Maya/Kabuto north of Osaka/Kobe have popular overlooks, but getting there for sunrise basically requires a car.

   Recommendations for sunset are much easier. Fushimi Inari is pretty good, but not the best. Note that there’s a second overlook where the remains of an old billboard or something exist if you follow the path up from the main overlook (四つ辻) through the Miyuki shrine (御幸奉拝所) and out the back about 20 meters.

   Higashiyama at night is magical, and the views from in front of Ryozan-Kannon/Kodai-ji are especially good. However, if you want the absolute best sunset view of Kyoto, I recommend Shogunzuka. There are two viewing platforms–one is attached to Chion-in and closes early (execpt for a certain times of year), but the other is free and is open 24 hours. Unfortunately it can be a bit tricky to get to if you don’t know the way, but you can get there from the back of Maruyama park via a short hike. Alternatively, you could take a taxi (Keage would be the closest station, but Sanjo will have a lot more taxis).

   >I even talked to someone who had been to Japan and they suggested Kamakura Beach to me. That’s definitely a day trip scheduled from Tokyo, but there’s no way I could get there in time to see the sun from public transit. Unless I took a late train and stayed there until public transit opened back up. I could add an extra night to stay at a hotel but that would push back the rest of my trip.

   It’s more or less on the way to Kyoto from Tokyo, so if it’s that important to you you could cut a night from Tokyo and stay in Kamakura on your way to Kyoto.

   >May 20th: Day trip to Kamakura

   Kamakura is amazing, but it’s yet another thing on a long list of locations. If you really want to do it, I would do it on the way to Kyoto so you don’t waste time doubling back.

   >May 21st: Day trip to Chuerito Pagoda, Ice Cave, Wind Cave

   I usually don’t recommend doing Fuji Five Lakes as a day trip at all, and these things are very spread out, so ultimately I would cut this.

   >May 22nd: Shinjuku government building, extra time for anything else I or my friends may want to do.

   The Government building is pretty lackluster as viewpoints go IMO (it’s also generally very crowded in the evenings). If you really want a great view of the city, go to Roppongi Hills around sunset, and if you just want a free view, Bunkyo Civic Center is better and far less crowded. Shinjuku in general has loads to do/see, but the Government Building isn’t worth your time.

   >May 23rd: Leave Tokyo, arrive in Kyoto, visit Kōdaiji Temple.

   There is so much to see immediately around Kodai-ji that it strikes me as odd that you only list Kodai-ji here. The entire southern Higashiyama/Gion/Downtown area is within walking distance of Kodai-ji, and you could easily spend a full day just in that area.

   See also [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3) for my general advice about arranging sights in Kyoto.

   >May 24th: Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nishiki Market

   Nishiki Market is within walking distance of Kodai-ji (~2km), and the route will take you through Gion and Shinkyogoku/Teramachi, as well as by Pontocho. I usually group these things together for that reason.

   Fushimi Inari is open 24 hours and is simultaneously off by itself a bit and easily accessible via either Keihan or JR, so it can be conveniently fit in at literally any time on any day. For this reason, I wouldn’t plan my schedule around this–I would fit it in where you can’t do other things.

   Overall this day is very light, and you can definitely fit more in.

   >May 25th: Day trip to Himeji

   Himeji is amazing and I would usually consider it unskippable….but Nara is closer, there’s more to see there, and most people I’ve taken to both enjoy Nara even more. Also, if you’re going to Hiroshima, Himeji is on the way, so why double back? If you cut Hiroshima (as I later suggest), I would do Himeji Castle and Koko-en as early as possible, and then spend the afternoon/evening in Osaka (mostly the south side including Namba). It’s fantastic city that has a completely different atmosphere from Kyoto and Tokyo.

   Also, this day (the 25th) is Tenjin-san at Kitanotenman-gu in Kyoto, which I would definitely do.

   >May 27th: Kita-ku district: Kinkaku-ji, Kamigamo-jinja

   Kinkaku-ji is easily one of Kyoto’s 3 most famous temples, but I also think it’s one of the most disappointing and it’s definitely one of the most crowded. It’s also off by itself quite a bit and not directly accessible via train. With only 3 full days in Kyoto I wouldn’t be able to justify fitting in at all, but if you do do it, I would do it on the 25th along with Kitanotenman-gu, which is nearby and much nicer IMO. There are several other temples in the same general area that are also worth considering, including Ryoan-ji, Ninna-ji, and Daitoku-ji, though they’re all far enough that you’ll probably need to end up taking a bus/taxi if you’re not renting bikes.

   Kamigamo-jinja is nice, but I’m not sure I would make the detour with such limited time. The Sagano/Arashiyama district is conspicuously absent from your itinerary, and the concentration of things to see there alone would cause me to prioritize it over Kamigamo. Having said that, I would probably prioritize a day in Nara over everything on this day. Todai-ji alone is worth the trip, but there’s plenty else to see there.

   >May 28th: Leave Kyoto, arrive in Hiroshima, visit Hiroshima Castle, Peace Memorial Museum, Shukkein Garden

   On a trip this short, I wouldn’t go to Hiroshima at all. Between Kanto and Kansai, there’s already way more than enough to fill 11 days.

   Hiroshima Castle and Shukkei-en are not worth your time. Hiroshima Castle is basically just a small museum with very little in the way of English displays and is ultimately nothing compared to Himeji (or Hikone or even Odawara, which you’ll be passing nearby). Shukkei-en is not bad, but it’s not amazing either. There are dozens of gardens in Kyoto that are at least as good that you’ll be skipping, and Himeji’s Koko-en is perhaps my favorite in the entire country.

   >May 29th: Possible trip to Itsukushima, floating shrine will still be under construction. Or this day could be an extra day in Tokyo/Kyoto.

   Ituskushima (Miyajima) is probably more than half of the reason people visit Hiroshima. If you can’t find time to do it while you’re there, that’s all the more reason not to make the trip to Hiroshima (I would argue that there are a lot of other reasons to go to Hiroshima too, but that would mean more time, which you don’t have).

6. Most of Harajuku opens around 10-11 am not much to do in the morning there tbh (if you are into shopping)

7. My partner and I got a cab to Fushimi Inari. It wasn’t expensive by Australian standards. So you could always do that.

8. ENOSHIMA and KAMAKURA, since your goin to Kamakura.

9. A very good sunrise spot in Kyoto is along the river at Demachiyanagi. Demachiyanagi is the last station on the Keihan line.

   Stand on the west side of the river – away from the mountains. There is a juncture where two rivers come together. There are stepping stones to cross the river there. Around that area you will be able to see the sun come up over the mountains and catch the light reflecting in the river. Lots of ducks, herons, egrets too.

10. I personally think that the chureito pagoda is a bit overrated. The angle to get both the mountain and the pagoda is pretty tricky to get, not the most creative place to take pictures. The temple have nothing much. I’m glad I wend, but if I go back to Kawaguchiko, I would not do it again.

    Shinjuku Government Buliding is nice because it’s free, over my trips I went twice (I think), well, mostly because it’s free. It’s not bad, but as other pointed out, there is arguably better places, the rooftop of Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills is indeed a cool one.

    For the sunrise, Kamakura would probably be nice, as I wrote in a different comment, it’s not out of the way to go to Kyoto after, so it might be a really good option and also a change of pace from the big cities where you will stay.

    I think that in general the plan is really doable, but I would advise to check a bit around the location you found and add a couple of places of interest and worst case just do what you have in your plan. I think it’s easier to drop things than to find find more stuff to do when you are out there, wondering what to do because you completed the plan of the day, that is in many cases fairly light.

11. Daimonji in Kyoto is always a wonderful place to watch the sunrise and sunset

12. Different places for different reasons but Hiroshima for me

13. Without leaving Tokyo, I recommend to visit Tokyo Skytree or Shibuya Scramble Square to have an out-standing sunset.

    Better to visit those towers 2h before sunset, therefore you can enjoy Tokyo by daytime, sunset and night.

14. This itinerary is incredibly full. You’ll be sleeping?

    Arashiyama monkey park, fushimi inari, and kyomizu temple in Kyoto are great places for sunrises if you can get there early enough.

    Try to get a trip up Mount Fuji if you can. Watching the sunrise from the top after hiking for 4 hours was a very spiritual/emotional experience for me. Once in a lifetime.

15. Fushimi Inari shrine – Kyoto

16. So……….if you really want to see the sunrise.

    Yes, do an overnight trip from Tokyo, Kamakura is good, but really, I’d recommend Fujisawa/Enoshima, or Odawara if you want to be at a station the shinkansen stops at.

    Because these are all right up against the Pacific coast, meaning you can walk to a beach front and watch the sunrise over the Pacific, the most “land of the rising sun” thing you can do.

    I truly recommend Fujisawa/Enoshima because if you go down to the beach front you can look West and possibly see Mt. Fuji before clouds potentially cover it up for the day.

    I also highly recommend it for sunset too, because from that angle the sun often sets BEHIND Mt. Fuji, backlighting it.

    So, I would suggest doing a day trip out from Tokyo to like Kamakura or Enoshima (both can be done, but I can easily spend a full day at either), but stay at a place in Fujisawa near Enoshima or on Enoshima, I guess, but that maybe pricey. Watch the sunset from the beach, then do whatever. (This is also why I recommend Fujisawa, it has better options that Kamakura or Enoshima at night…) Then wake up early to watch the sunrise, maybe go back to the hotel to nap, and then head on to Kyoto or wherever next.

17. Same

18. The top of Mt. Fuji.

19. While you can’t see the sunrise, being in Arashiyama grove at Dawn was one of my favorite moments in Japan

20. I know you said Fushimi Inari doesn’t have public transport access but if you can take a cab it’s worth it. I watched the sun set there and it was pretty amazing.

21. Fushimi Inari in Kyoto!

22. I don’t know about sunrises, but 100% do not skip Miyajima. Itsukushima aside, this is my favorite place in the world. Walk around, hang out with deer, get some momimi manju, then take a walk up on the trails in the woods. Stumble upon some shrines. It’s a small island, just spend the day wandering around. After the cities, you’ll really appreciate this peace.

23. Ok, this is totally way, way outside of your route but I’ll put it out anyway. Go to Oarai in Ibaraki, which is north of Tokyo. Then bike (your ryokan might have some that you can borrow) out to Isosaki shrine. A casual Google search for ‘oarai isosaki sunrise’ will tell you why I recommended it 🙂

    That said – I like Oarai. It’s a chill seaside inaka town with delicious seafood and good sights, and for me it’s worth a 2D1N stay, or even a 3D2N stay, especially as a palate cleanser for the city life. There’s a lot of places in and around Oarai (Hitachi Seaside Park, Oarai aquarium) and on the way to/from Oarai (Mito, the JAXA site in Tsukuba) that makes it worth the trip.

24. Hi, I’m a licenced tour guide in Japan. We will welcome you to Japan, next year.
    lots of people have already advised you where to go and what to see in Japan, so I tell you the local secret point to enjoy the best sunrise; It is the city of Choshi, in Chiba prefecture.
    Choshi-city is located about 120km East of Tokyo, and facing to the Pacific Ocean, so-to-say, the nearest city to the United States!
    Morning sunrise in this city is, I’m sure , one of the best scene to enjoy.
    You have to stay in this city to enjoy the sunrise because it takes approx.2 hours from the center of Tokyo, but I think it’s really worthwhile doing so.

    If you want further info, please do not hesitate to post reply to me!

25. If you are staying near Miyajima island, Mt. Misen is best place to see the sun rise in Hiroshima.

    But if you are staying in Hiroshima’s main city its going to be impossible