Is the Kansai area crowded in the last week of December?

18 comments

1. I like your itinerary 🙂

2. I usually spend my end of year in Osaka and,,,, it is VERY crowded. USJ has lines over 180+ minutes long, and anywhere you go will be extremely crowded. Granted this corona situation may shake things up a bit but regardless there won’t be anywhere that is not crowded. When it’s the end of the year, people like to go out with family and friends!

3. I was in Kyoto and Osaka at the end of December last year and it was really crowded, especially the popular Kyoto tourist destinations. I’d expect the coronavirus situation to affect crowds this year though.

   Also, not sure if this is your first time in Kyoto, but I’d rather stay in Kyoto than Osaka doing day trips. You’ll save a lot of time and Kyoto is easy to stay in.

4. I just bought tickets for December 26-January 8th . Hoping it works out.
   I’m planning on being in Kansai area 26-3rd so I’ve done a bit of research. I know that Osaka castle is closed dec 28 – Jan 1.

5. I was in Kansai last Christmas and it was crowded but not anything overbearing. Though I didn’t visit USJ since we have it in California. I still enjoyed my trip and I think Christmas is a good time to visit Japan with all the illuminations on the street. If you’re going this year it might be less crowded due to the COVID-19, even if the restrictions are lifted then, I think lots of people are still going to postpone their trips. I booked my tickets to visit Japan this August in January and I might have to postpone it to this December if I can’t get a refund.

6. I would much rather spend more time in Kyoto than Osaka..

7. Yes extremely crowded. Spent christmas and new years 2018. Jammed packed everywhere. In 2019 I spent thanksgiving week and it wasn’t as packed. You will enjoy the Christmas lighting throughout the city

8. Kyoto is wild! I recommend doing less touristy spots so you don’t get overwhelmed and actually get to experience the serenity and beauty of the city: my favorites were Gingaku-Ji and Shimogamo Shrine 🙂

9. We’ve found over the years that the city the least affected by New Years closures has been Kyoto. Simply because of the temples etc most restaurants remain open over that period, whereas in other places a lot are shut up. However you’ll obviously want to avoid temples on New Year’s Day and the days either side.

   Also be prepared to go to Universal Studios, spend half a day and go on 2 or 3 rides tops.

10. There’s a good chance USJ will be completely packed given the holiday season. If you do it, slot it in earlier rather than later, but personally I would avoid it like the plague. Other than that, most things aren’t really any more crowded than usual until maybe the 31st.

    3 full days is about the bare minimum for what I’d recommend just for the highlights of Kyoto. I would seriously recommend adding AT LEAST one more day and either splitting your stay between Osaka and Kyoto, or staying in Kyoto and doing Osaka as the day trip. You can do multiple day trips, but it is very easy to spend 2 hours per day just running back and forth, which can really add up over the course of multiple days. I also highly recommend adding Tenjin-san at Kitanotenman-gu on the 25th. Most things in Kyoto probably won’t be too busy until around midnight on the 31st, but I think if you have the option, it is EXTREMELY worth sticking around for New Years in the city (even if you leave on the 1st). It’s crowded, but the atmosphere is magical and being able to see/do things like Hatsumode and Joya-no-Kane is a uniquely Japanese experience. See [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. Also note that if you only do the 4-5 most famous temples, I think you are completely robbing yourself of the Kyoto experience. So much of what makes the city special is giving yourself time to wander around old neighborhoods and make discoveries.

    In Osaka, definitely add Shinsekai at some point–perhaps walk from Kuromon through DenDen Town down to Shinsekai and Abenoharukasu.

    I also usually recommend a day trip to Himeji (plus usually an afternoon/evening in Kobe on the way back) on any first visit to Kansai. It’s the country’s largest and most iconic castle, and its gardens are among the best (and practically free if you buy the combined castle/garden ticket). It makes Osaka Castle look like a glorified office building by comparison. Just be aware that the castle is closed on the 29th and 30th.

    Things like museums are likely to have some closures for the holiday, so check ahead of time, but temples and shrines usually have extended hours from the 31st through some time in the first week of January.

11. I can’t say anything about how it’ll be in Kansai in December as that’s when I usually go back to my country for the holidays. I can imagine that public transport will be quite busy with everyone going to their family homes for the new year.
    Winter is a nice time to visit Japan for all the illuminations and you’ll get to experience the new years events at the temples and shrines. But it is quite cold so make sure to wrap up warm. I reccomend uniqlo heat tech.
    Your itinerary for places to see looks ok. But there is no Tennoji castle in Osaka. Do you mean Shitennoji Temple?

12. Hi, regarding Kyoto: We decided to not really do Kyoto as our family is not really interested in temples, but they want to see the main ones. I was thinking maybe USJ the day we arrive, Kyoto Dec 26-27, Nara Dec 28, and Osaka 29-31?

13. I am curious what is drawing you to Osaka, especially for the first trip. We could not fill 3 days with things to do in Osaka. It’s a large generic city feeling from my experience

14. Itll be as crowded as a shinjuku train at 8am

15. some places are but to be honest we have no idea when this corona stuff will be over so dont make any plans. if will takes months for things to get back to normal.

16. What you have listed for Kyoto could easily take more than two days. Arashiyama is a large area, and so I would recommend at least half a day there. The other sights you have listed are in areas far apart from each other, so it wouldn’t be easy to see them all quickly.

    Consider combining Fushimi Inari with your trip to Nara. Take the train from Osaka to Kyoto Station. From there it is only a quick train ride to Fushimi Inari (I would recommend visiting as early as possible to avoid the crowds), which is on the same train line as Nara from Kyoto Station. This would save you some time for your other Kyoto days.

17. I have been in Japan over Xmas and NYE and tbh a lot of stuff is closed and everywhere is super crowded. I did not hit up Universal that trip (did the two Disney Parks) and they were super crowded.

    I did Universal my last trip, but did it over 2 days. I think 1 day in a super busy period will be quite stressful unless you are happy to miss out on half the rides. I would probably look into buying some fast passes but they cost a lot. Do not miss The Flying Dinosaur.

    I would also recommend staying in Kyoto rather than doing day trips from Osaka, you will save a lot of time and you can get up really early and get to some Kyoto attractions before big crowds get a chance to get there.

18. Anywhere big city in Japan would be crowded that time since winter break here starts somewhere around Dec 18 to 25 as well. Probably a smart plan to just stick to Kansai since Shinkansen and long-distance trains/buses/planes can be difficult to book.

    I saw your update about not visiting as many temples/shrines in Kyoto, but you’d probably still need the two days since the main places you listed are not very close. But you can use the evenings to go shopping and explore places in Osaka. Could plan to go hit up the shopping areas in Namba/Dotonbori (they are basically the same neighbourhood) after dark.

    As u/GrisTooki says, Himeji Castle (40+ min out of Osaka to the west) is a must-see for castles in Japan. The beautiful white exterior is incomparable to Osaka Castle, although the latter is still impressive. 100% recommend Himeji Castle and the adjacent Japanese garden (Kokoen). Kids and youth get a discount which is pretty sweet.

    Be sure to use the Hankai Tram line if you will see Sumiyoshi Temple. Probably best paired with Tennoji area stuff since the Hankai Tram connects Tennoji and Sumiyoshi Temple areas. The area the tram runs is less urbanized, more residential and local, which can be worth getting lost in!