Trying to simplify a 5-day Kyoto itinerary in November. Please help me edit my trip?

5 comments

1. > I have no idea what is essential and what can be skipped

   This is a very important question that I think more people in this sub should ask themselves!

   I just went to Kyoto and had only 2 days. Instead of trying to speedrun the place and check everything off the list (be it Lonely Planet, travel blogs, recos from this sub) I just went my own place, veered off the beaten path a bit. I really enjoyed it.

   Kyoto is super busy, moreso on the weekends, and it can be really overwhelming for anyone.

   Focus on the experiences you want to have, take it easy, listen to your body, make sure to have rest/slow days to recover from all the walking up the stairs.

2. This is a hot take but tbh last time I went to Tokyo, I went to a bunch of temples and I honestly could have been good with just seeing 1

   Probably depends on what kind of stuff you like to see when traveling, but I would rather have spent some more time walking around nishiki market. All the memories of temples in my head just blended together except for kinkakuji, but only because it’s the only shiny one lol

3. The “famous” temples/sights don’t do much for me, precisely because of the crowds. How much of a “have to do/seen it once” person are you? There’s a million temples to see, and my least fond memories are of Ginkakuji and Kinkakuji. Fushimi Inari, in terms of sights, is close behind. Your ideas to evade crowds are pretty decent but repeat visits to Fushimi Inari are at odds with the crowd evasion strategy.

   For fewer crowds, make reservations for tours at either/both imperial villas. The gardens are incredibly gorgeous and visitor numbers are limited. Daisen-in also has a high beauty-to-crowd ratio, in my experience.

   You can buy excellent Uji tea everywhere so I’m not sure I would make that stop, unless you have a deeper interest in tea/Uji.

   Doing Higashiyama in one day is more than doable time-wise, but you will eventually get templed-out, doing temple after temple after temple for several days. Get to Kyomizudera early.

   ETA: I’m at odds with another commenter about Nishiki market. I’ve watched it become a crowded, touristy hellhole since our first visit a decade ago. (And some people claim it had already become a crowded, touristy hellhole then.) I was glad to not see it on your list. Street food is not really a Japanese — and definitely not a Kyoto! — thing to begin with, and Nishiki almost exclusively now caters to tourists.

4. Assuming you are going in mid/late November (as this is the correct time for foliage in Kyoto), this is all over the place. You’re in the Gion area twice (Days 4 and 5), Fushimi Inari twice (Day 1 and 4), have a super out of the day detour to Kurama…

   Ideas for what to cut:

   * You only need to do things once. I would keep Fushimi Inari on Day 4 and delete it from Day 1. You could consider a nighttime foliage illumination.

   * Cut Mt Kurama / Shisendo on Day 2 as it’s so out of the way relative to everything else. Or, cut everything else, and make it a generic North Kyoto day with Kurama-Kibune, Shisendo, Shukaguin Villa (advanced ticket application required, free).

   * Day 3: Tea souvenirs are sold everywhere, if you just want to buy snacks there is no need to stop in Uji.

   * Day 4: You’re already doing Gion on Day 5, cut Gion from this day. You could shift Tofukuji here if you like as it makes geographic sense. Otherwise do whatever you didn’t do on Day 2 here.

   * Day 5: **Wake up very early** for Kiyomizudera. Arriving before 7 is a dramatically different and vastly more peaceful experience. Then do other Higashiyama stuff. Although by this time you’ll likely be templed out and fully annoyed with humanity.

   I agree with /r/tdrr12 that Nishiki Market exists entirely for tourists, it’s okay if you like that kind of experience but important that you go with the right expectations.

5. I loved Uji because of the many cafes serving fascinating savory foods that have tea in them, like green tea tofu in mapo tofu. The matcha lattes there were nothing like the ones in other places in Japan. They were simply so flavorful and delicious.
   However I would recommend going there first before going to Nara since I noticed a lot of shops seemed closed in the late afternoon. If you want to buy tea, you can accomplish that in Kyoto, but being able to explore all the interesting culinary creations was well worth the visit for me! Also ByodoIn is the temple there, which is famous for being on the 10yen coin.