Part 2/3 for a 15 day/14 night trip to Tokyo>Kyoto>Osaka in November ’23
[Please also double check my Tokyo Itinerary if you have a moment, thanks!](https://reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/s/dwetxZ0tOX)
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#KYOTO:
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**Day 1**
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– **1430**[ish] : Arrive at Kyoto Station/hotel check in
– Chion-in
– Higashiyama Park Observatory
– Dinner in/around Pontocho Park
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**EDIT: Day 2**
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– **0600** : Eat breakfast locally
– Kiyomizu-dera
– Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka
– Ryozen Museum & Cemetery
– Dinner in Gion
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**EDIT : Day 3**
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– **0700** : Eat breakfast locally
– Mt. Hiei
– Enryaku-j
– Dinner in Sakamoto
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**EDIT : Day 4** (Will be a Saturday)
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– **0700** : Eat breakfast locally
– Fushimi Inari Taisha
– Visit Nara : Following the day trip guide from https://www.insidekyoto.com/nara-itineraries (found on this sub FAQ)
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**Day 5**
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– **0700** : Eat breakfast locally
– Tenryu-ji
– Arashiyama
– Nijo Castle
– Depart for Osaka
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I’ll post the Osaka itinerary when it’s finalized, and will include a link in this post for reference as well.
2 comments
Day 3 is not possible, Hieizan can take up the whole day if you go to all the areas (not just Enryakuji). And Philosophers Path is at best an above average footpath (not worth a special detour) outside of cherry blossoms season, the purpose of going there would be to visit the temples in the vicinity such as Nanzenji which would take up more time.
The “good” news is that peak foliage on mountains is reasonably offset from peak on the ground that you can choose one or the other based on local conditions when you go.
Day 2 is not optimized for crowds, Kiyomizudera will be a sea of humanity if you go midday. I would move Fushimi Inari to the Nara day or at least put it towards the end of Day 2, and go to Kiyomizudera as early as humanly possible in the morning, ideally before 7am. It is vastly more peaceful this way.
If Day 4 is a Saturday, stay late in Nara and go to the free Todaiji lantern illumination which is only held on Saturdays in November.
Where are you planning on eating breakfast? Most restaurants don’t open until 10am or later.