Sagano Scenic Railway

Hi,

I am planning to take the Sagano Scenic railway around mid Dec 2015 but I read and seem to have the impression that the train is a reserved train and likely to be full.

Any advise on the best time when least crowd is expected and a better chance of getting a seat. I will only be in Kyoto for a day (weekend) and going to JR Saga Arashiyama solely to buy the tickets and take the ride. If chances are slim, I may have to give it a miss .
Thanks.

I've been with the Sagano Scenic Railway three times and on every time booked my tickets about an hour in advance without trouble.

Be sure to get a seat on the right hand side, as it by far have the best and most views.

Thanks EC2GO.
Will give it a try. Any idea whether the city buses are packed most of the time? Read some discussion that Kyoto is packed in Nov. Is the situation the same in Dec or is it just crowded for the autumn foliage?
I am thinking of buying the 1 day city bus pass. If buses are packed, then maybe will use the rail instead
Thank you.

You should definitely use the train. From Kyoto station (Tracks 31, 32 & 33), it is only 12 minutes by express train or 17 minutes by local train to SAGA ARASHIYAMA station. The station is adjacent to the Scenic Railway station.

Thanks Dick H.

I am considering buying a bus pass so that I can also use it for the trip from Kyoto station to my hotel in Shijio. Apparently, buses will stop nearer to the hotel whereas there would be some walking if I take the train. Any idea whether there are elevator or lift in the station around Shijio.

In addition, I could also use the bus pass to Kiyomizudera Temple. Are the buses crowded to these tourist spots ?

As for the trip to Arashiyama, any idea whether the bus ride is very long. I will be setting of at Shijio instead of Kyoto station to these 2 tourist spots.

Any comments appreciated. Thanks.

To go to the Scenic Railway by bus from SHIJO KARASUMA, take a #91 bus and get out at SAGA ARASHIYAMA EKI MAE (Eki means station, "my" means "in front of"). It takes about 40 mins.
When you get out walk south about 5 mins, then walk through the JR station to the Scenic Railway station.
Map:
http://dickh.zenfolio.com/img/s5/v122/p1623348449-5.jpg

From the Scenic Railway to Kiyomizu is across the entire city and it requires a change of bus at some point, travel time about 1 hour.
Also, from the bus stop it is a long walk uphill to Kiyomizu.
I have another suggestion.
From the bus stop at Saga Arashiyama take a #93 bus going back toward Kyoto. Get out at MARUTOMACHIKEIHAN MAE and take a taxi to Kiyomizu. The taxis stop about half way up the hill.
The bus will take 35 mins. and the taxi about 10 mins.

Thanks Dick H for the detailed information. It will be extremely useful.

Can I check if these buses would be very crowded ?

It seems that it would be worthwhile to buy the 1-day bus pass then.
Thanks !

Crowded busses depend on the day, time of day, etc. By crowded do you mean empty seats? Probably no, but not so crowded you can't get in.
When I lived in Tokyo I had to change trains at Ikebukuro. In the A.M. Crush hour we had to wait for two or three trains to load so we could get in. That's crowded.

Hi,
I will be in Kyoto on a Sunday. Should be travelling from morning, say 10am to evening/night. Hope the bus would not be so crowded that my group cannot get up the bus. It's alright not to be able to get a seat but hopefully I need not have to wait for a few buses to pass by before I could board.
Thank so much !

You had better start before 10. Dec. 21 is the shortest daylight of the year, so it starts to get dark by 4. You had better start at 8.

Will take note.
Thanks for your advice.