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best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/19 23:41
Hi, I would like some opinions or suggestions for my 1 day Kyoto trip. Will become there on the 17th of November 2015.

The places I want to visit :
- Fushimi Inari
- kinkaku-ji
- Kiyomizudera- higashiyama (and perhaps some walking distance to Gion). if possible would love to go last for this place for the autum illuminating

I'll be coming from Osaka, and will have a JR Pass using shinkansen shinkansen to Kyoto Station. So my starting point will be at kyoto station early morning.

My questions are :
1. What is the most time efficient way of going round those 3-4 places
2. Will it be worth it to buy the city bus all day pass
3. Or using trains will be most efficient
4. Is it possible to add 1 or 2 more places, maybe like Nijo castle

Thanks in advance :)
by kaniadj (guest)  

Re: best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/20 09:35
If you can, go as early as you can to Fushimi Inari so that you avoid the crowds, but again coming from Osaka I fear it won't be possible.
I entered Kinkaku-ji about two hours before closing time and in the last thirty minutes or so the crowds were almost gone.

The problem with your itinerary is that you're choosing sites very far away: Fushimi Inari is southern Kyoto, Kinkaku-ji is northern Kyoto and Kyomizu-dera is in Higashiyama, about halfway from these two sites. It is feasible though and aside of Arashiyama bamboo forest I can't think of better "can't miss places" in Kyoto (even though the Silver Pavilion was probably my favourite).
You can do Gion in the evening, it's way more charming also.
I'd skip Ni-jo instead given your limited time, despite being a UNESCO site there are way better castles around Japan.
Mind that everything depends on your pace, I use to spend quite a lot of time snapping pics...

Fushimi Inari is best done by train IMO, Kyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji best by bus.
by Sputnikboy rate this post as useful

Re: best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/20 10:49
The places I want to visit :
- Fushimi Inari
- kinkaku-ji
- Kiyomizudera- higashiyama (and perhaps some walking distance to Gion). if possible would love to go last for this place for the autum illuminating


Unfortunately, as mentioned you're basically visiting the far corners of the city, but if you're just considering seeing Kiyomizudera for the illumination then it should be doable.

1. What is the most time efficient way of going round those 3-4 places

Start at Fushimi Inari first thing in the morning. Try to arrive as early as possible, it's an easy 1hr trip from Osaka so you can get there as early as 7:30.

Then it's a long trip to Kinkakuji, by bus or train and bus. Easiest may be to take Keihan Railways to Demachiyanagi and then a bus to Kinkakuji.

You can do Nijo Palace on the way back toward Gion. Bus or taxi are probably easiest to Nijo and then train from there to Kawaramachi. Walk from Gion through Higashiyama to Kiyomizudera, planning to arrive around 6:30. Maybe have dinner along the way if you have time, but note that the Higashiyama district shuts down rather early, around 5:00.

2. Will it be worth it to buy the city bus all day pass

Probably not. I think you can do it in about 2 bus trips which doesn't make the pass pay off.

3. Or using trains will be most efficient

A combination of bus, train, and maybe even taxi are best.

4. Is it possible to add 1 or 2 more places, maybe like Nijo castle

Yes, Nijo Palace is along the way between Kinkakuji and Gion. Depending on how early you leave, and how fast you travel, you may be able to stop by Nishiki Market on the way to Gion.
by yllwsmrf rate this post as useful

Re: best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/20 13:06
Yes, thank you for pointing that out, I realized early on about the location of each place, but maybe not fully realized on how far they are to each other. That's why I only plan to visit 3 location that interest me & my friend the most. Enjoying the most of our our time our time each location. It would be be too tiring to visit other places as well. We actually have a second day in Kyoto, but I'm thinking of going to himeji castle or Nara. But that's another story.

So from both of your answers, the sequences would be fushimi inari - kinkaku-ji - gion - higashiyama - Kiyomizudera.

We have no problem of going early, since I put 6.30 am as my starting time, and according to hyperdia, the trip from my hostel to JR inari will takes around 40 minutes + 15 minutes of slow walking. There is no way that we would miss fushimi inari. It's beautiful! After that that we can slowly go up by bus to visit the next 2. I put gion and higashiyama along with kiyomizudera as one location since we can just walk around that area while waiting for the illuminating autumn

thank you so much for the help yllwsmrf & sputnikboy :)
by kaniadj (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/20 13:29
Oooh.. and we're planning to buy buy a suica/pasmo to cover some of the local non JR trains in tokyo. It still can be use in kyoto/osaka for trains and buses right? I I find that buying daily pass is not always the best. I think an IC card is more suitable
by kaniadj (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/20 17:57
You said you have two days in Kyoto. Does that mean you're spending the night there? If so, if you're wanting to go to Nara the next day, you could go to Fushimi Inari first thing in the morning before going to Nara, as they're on the same train line. If you did that, it would help make seeing the other places you want to see much more manageable.
by Mon (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/22 14:29
Kyoto station to Inari.

Back to Kyoto station - a visit in its own right. Take the escalators to the tenth floor and then steps to the garden - views of the city on three sides (free and about 15 minutes).

Subway to stop K4 and taxi or walk (30 minutes) to Kinkakuji - reverse to get to central city (say stop K9 or just back to Kyoto station)

Taxi to Kodaiji - visit the top temple and then the zen gardens at the bottom. Walk through Maruyama Park to Gion and the old streets. Taxi back to station or hotel (depending where you are staying).

A Y1000 taxi can save a lot of time, especially if you are in a hurry or want to see a lot. If you are spending several thousand dollars to visit Japan, don't spend it stuck on a crowded bus.
by JapanCustomTours rate this post as useful

Re: best way way to explore Kyoto in one day 2015/4/22 17:47
They arent that far from each other. It would take less than an hour to get from one point to the other. You can view Fushimi Inari at any time due to its 24 hr open policy.

Kinkakuji shouldnt take more than an hour. I went during autumn and though crowded it wasnt packed.

Fushimi Inari is good to visit very early or very late. Due to the cold autumn weather the crowds will thin out.

Higashiyama is best to go after lunch. Walking about the streets till late night to see the night lights.

There is a train from Gion to Fushimi Inari. This is your best bet for the fastest transport. Between Higashiyama and Kinkakuji, i would recommend train westwards followed by the raiden (tram car)
by joshua hugh (guest) rate this post as useful

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