Itinerary Check: 4-day trip to Kyoto!


I’m a first time solo-traveler, going to Kyoto for 4 days. Open to any suggestion or ideas:

**Day 1** \- I land at 6AM, planning to pick up a wifi egg (Sakura Wifi) at the airport (already reserved). I’m flying Peach Airlines – is it easy to get from Terminal 2 to 1? I’m staying near Kyoto Station.

* Haruka Express to Kyoto Station
* **Question**: can I get a ticket the day I land? I have an old Suica card from 2018 but not sure if it works
* Estimating I’ll arrive to Kyoto station around 9-9:30am
* Coffee nearby then head to Kyoto Tower
* **Question**: Would say about an hour here is OK?
* Then check out Higashi Hongan-ji Temple
* Nishiki Market
* **Question**: 2-3 hours enough to explore/eat?
* 2nd hand store shopping (JAM, Three Star, etc)
* Oryori Menami for dinner
* Pontocho – just walking around at night and explore!
* **Question**: Are bars English/foreigner friendly? Should I consider like a tour group?

**Day 2** \- Southern Higashiyama (my most ambitious day??)

* Get to Fushimi Inari shrine by 7am
* **Question**: is it a 2-3 hr to hike to the gates? How long does one spend here?
* Then hop over to walk this temple exploration path off the Bamboo Traveler site: [https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1SsGFep7IHpsl6oE0RwoOQCaFxpednCU&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1SsGFep7IHpsl6oE0RwoOQCaFxpednCU&usp=sharing)
* Check out the stores and old-school Starbuck’s along the way
* **Question:** Think me walking to all those temples is reasonable for a whole-day adventure?

**Day 3** \- Northern Higashiyama

* Same self-walking tour as above but with the temples more north – also just following a skeleton guide from [https://thebambootraveler.com/kyoto-itinerary-4-days-a-city-of-a-million-temples/](https://thebambootraveler.com/kyoto-itinerary-4-days-a-city-of-a-million-temples/)
* **Question**: there doesn’t seem to be as many, but again, just trying to get a gauge of how long it might take me by foot?
* Lunch: Yudofu Kisaki?
* Kyoto Imperial Palace
* Nijo Castle

**Day 4** \- Arashiyama District

* **Question:** How early to get to the bamboo forest? 7am?
* Bamboo Forest – **Question:** Would you say this is a 45min-1hr walk?
* Okochi Sanso Garden
* Tenryu-ji Temple
* Lunch: Ozuru, Unagi Hirokawa
* Arashiyama Monkey Park
* If time, then just shit around a shopping mall?

**Day 5** \- I need to get back to KIX to catch a 8:45pm flight — how early should I get there?

* Any MUSTS that I should hit up in the morning/afternoon before I leave?

It’s my first time solo traveling– sort of sad I couldn’t book at any of the kaiseki’s because they need a minimum 2 people!

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