Hi all! Planning my 3-week trip to Japan in November. I’ve been researching for months and I’ve got most things squared away, but one thing I’m sort of struggling with is planning out my days in Kyoto as I know Kyoto is much more spread out than Tokyo (where we’ll be prior to Kyoto). I will be there for **4 full days**, spend **1** day in Nara, and have **two half days** or so (arrival from Osaka to Kyoto at the beginning and departure from Kyoto to Hiroshima at the end). Now this is going to be a long trip and we’ll have been in Japan for about ten days before our arrival to Kyoto so I am trying to be very very mindful about not jamming my itinerary and selecting 1-2 activities a day and leaving the rest of the days open to…whatever!
Here is my rough outline right now.
**P.S. staying by Nishiki Market.**
Sun – On this day we arrive from Osaka so as of now I have nothing placed on this day. I figure we will walk around and maybe go to Nishiki Market unless the hours are weird on Sundays. Dinner in Gion or Higashiyama or something?
Mon – Kiyomizudera early AM (7:30am) to avoid crowds …make our way down the shop-lined streets, explore Higashiyama, explore Philospher’s Path
Tues – Arashiyama. I’m not super interested in the bamboo grove but I’ve heard the rest of Arashiyama is beautiful and you can easily spend a half day if not a full day here, so that was my plan. This is also the day I’m hoping to get a reservation at Monk for dinner.
Weds – Fushimi Inari early AM (6:30), Rengeoin Sanjusangendo
Thurs – Day in Nara
Fri – Kinkakuji early AM (7:30)
Sat – Train from Kyoto to Hiroshima.
​
Any suggestions for other must see spots to fill in some of the holes in my itinerary? I know there are so so many temples and I’m sure they are all stunning but I tried to narrow it down to the ones above (the ones I most want to see) because I know we’ll probably get templed out really quick. Thanks for any advice/consideration.
7 comments
**Just a reminder that our FAQ is being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4)
Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
> Kiyomizudera early AM (7:30am) to avoid crowds
I think aiming for 6:30am or 7am is better (the 30 minutes make a big difference). Start off early so you can enjoy Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka in peace, go to the temple, then emerge after the shops have opened to see the contrast.
> Kinkakuji early AM (7:30)
Kinkakuji only opens at 9am. And takes like one hour to finish seeing – what are your plans for the rest of the day? I would pair it with Arashiyama.
I wouldn’t plan on dinner in gion or higashiyama unless you already made some reservations.
Stay where you are near the shotengais. Much more food options and they open late.
Get a tour guide if you can. We did, and it was wonderful. Dm for info if you want
Long answer short: [See this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/5wgxa1/best_way_to_group_these_sites_in_kyoto/dea059y/?context=3)
>I know Kyoto is much more spread out than Tokyo
It’s not, it’s just that the transit system isn’t nearly as well developed and a lot of people plan stupid days where they end up traveling all over the city to try to see everything in as little time as possible rather than sticking to 1 or 2 areas per day.
The other mistake people make is over-reliance on commuter busses. Kyoto’s bus system is overloaded and kind of miserable. There are tourist busses, but I think there are even better solutions. For one, plan your days so that you aren’t running all over the place on transit–a lot of areas in Kyoto are very walkable. Secondly, use bicycles if you can. Aside from the Yasaka/Kiyomizu area and parts of downtown with heavy pedestrian traffic (mainly the shopping arcades), you can get pretty much everywhere by bike in not much longer than it would take via bus. Thirdly, if you’re traveling in a group, taxis can become very affordable compared to busses as long as you aren’t going to far (definitely don’t use a taxi for trips that could be done by train, or to more far-flung places like Ohara)
>Here is my rough outline right now.
Dates are more important than days of the week in terms of knowing what’s going on.
>P.S. staying by Nishiki Market.
That’s certainly not a bad choice, but if you’re interested, I’ve made a [lodging area suitability map for Kyoto](https://i.imgur.com/b0xsWtN.jpg).
>Sun – On this day we arrive from Osaka so as of now I have nothing placed on this day. I figure we will walk around and maybe go to Nishiki Market unless the hours are weird on Sundays. Dinner in Gion or Higashiyama or something?
Unless you’re staying out in the boondocks of Osaka, it probably won’t take you more than an hour or so to get in. Shopping is certainly an option, but you have a full day here with almost nothing planned.
>Mon – Kiyomizudera early AM (7:30am) to avoid crowds …make our way down the shop-lined streets, explore Higashiyama, explore Philospher’s Path
See my breakdown linked above. I typically like to split north and south Higashiyama, and I highly recommend renting bikes for the north half if you are so inclined.
>Tues – Arashiyama. I’m not super interested in the bamboo grove but I’ve heard the rest of Arashiyama is beautiful and you can easily spend a half day if not a full day here, so that was my plan. This is also the day I’m hoping to get a reservation at Monk for dinner.
Depending on what you end up doing in Arashiyama, this could be a full day. Or you could get there super early, have lunch there, and then go somewhere else in the afternoon.
>Weds – Fushimi Inari early AM (6:30), Rengeoin Sanjusangendo
My opinion of Sanjusangen-do is that it’s pretty meh. It’s a long hall with some a bunch of Bhuddist statuary and nothing else of interest. The grounds are mostly empty, and the only thing of note within immediate walking distance of it (unless you don’t mind walking for a while) is the national museum.
Fushimi Inari is amazing, but it can be done at literally any time, day or night. My personal favorite time to go is about an hour before dawn (if you can manage to get there that early). Later in the morning is fine too, but it’s kind of a different experience in the dark, so getting there before dawn or dusk lets you experience it both ways. In any case, I would suggest adding Tofuku-ji after Fushimi Inari if you’re going in the morning. It’s pretty much deserted for most of the year, but during peak foliage season (mid-late November) it has a tendency to get extremely crowded by mid-morning because it’s well known in Japan for its beautiful foliage.
>Fri – Kinkakuji early AM (7:30)
If you’re going to Kinkaku-ji, I would definitely also go to Kitanotenman-gu. It’s especially beautiful in November. Ryoan-ji, Ninna-ji, and Daitoku-ji are also pretty cool in that part of the city.
>Sat – Train from Kyoto to Hiroshima.
If you haven’t done it already, I would stop in Himeji on the way for the castle and its gardens.
Hey there – I’m in Kyoto now and have been pleased with how much itinerary worked out. Based on what youve posted, here’s what I recommend –
On your arrival day from Osaka just go straight to Fushimi inari. If you’re not traveling with oversized luggage it is super easy to take the train and leave your stuff in a luggage locker while you explore the temple.
Kiyomizudera and sanenzaka / ninenzaka are close together, so do those together.
Ginkakuji and nanzen-ji Temple same day, they are connected by philosophers path. It’s a three mile walk that day not including if you decide to check out other temples on the path, so that’s a pretty full day. Save kiyomizudera for it’s own day since there’s so much to do there already.
Arayshima bamboo is out in the middle of nowhere, but it’s closer to kinkaku-ji than anything else, so combine those two for sure. I went to nishiki market at the end of this day (started at kinkaku ji at 8, then arayshima at 11, then nishiki after) and it was a great flow. Nijo castle you might be able to squeeze in before nishiki since they’re close.
Good luck and have fun!
I have some recs for
**Fri – Kinkakuji early AM (7:30)**
My most fav temple in Kyoto is **Ninna-Ji** with its palace garden and no crowds. It´s just so beautiful, that I always have to mention it. Most people only look for the main spots, therefore they are sooooo crowded, and don´t even take a glance at other temples or shrines which are equally or even more beautiful than the main spots.
**Imamiya Shrine** is another little gem, but not for the shrine, but for the old Aburi Mochi vendor there. **Kazariya** was founded in the 17th century and is still run by the same founder family! The sweets are delicious!!!
Another great spot is **Kawai Jinja and Shimogamo Jinja**. Love the maple forest between those two Shrines! Also the vibe is so calming!
​
**Tues – Arashiyama** – I went there on a Saturday (might be because of that) but it got so incredibly clogged at around 10 am that walking in the city became very difficult (and getting out of it too) I wouldn´t recommend it, to be honest. I would recommend to go to **Uji** instead. It´s such a nice pretty town! Went there mainly for Byodo-In, but I would go back for the town instead. Almost like Arashiyama, but more calmer. And Uji is famous for its green tea