Hi all,
I’m in Kyoto this coming New Year and wanted to experience some of the special events during that time. I want to check out the temples for the 108 bell rings and also the first prayer of the year. I know it’s gonna be massively crowded, so I wanted to plan things a bit to make my experience a bit more optimized.
For **Dec 31 evening-night:** I was thinking of going to the Kurodani Temple and joining the crowd for the bell ring and also the food stalls that are outside of the temple (not sure if the food part exists outside of this temple?).
On **Jan 1:** I wanted to go in super early (aiming for 6 am if it makes sense) to **Fushimi Inari Shrine**, and hike up. I have read that here is extremely crowded, that’s why I’m trying to go in early. But at the same time, since I’m taking the train from Gion, I don’t even know if there are trains that run there that early on Jan 1? Does anyone know if here is still super crowded in the evening on Jan 1? I would appreciate your comments on this one.
On **Jan 1 afternoon/evening:** I wanted to visit Kiyomizu-dera to check out the temple and also the view of the city. Since here is closer to my hostel, if the trip to Fushimi Inari in the morning doesn’t work out, I wanted to swap these two.
**Jan 2:** I wanted to explore Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Tenryu-ji Temple as well as Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion). Couldn’t find much on how crowded these places are around the New Year. Would be happy to hear your thoughts.
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Thanks for your help!
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