3day itinerary for Kyoto

Hi, we are a group of 4 in our early thirties. Planning to go Kyoto & surrounding areas during the cherry blossom season. Could we have comments on whether the kyoto itinerary for our first 3 days look feasible? Any way to optimise it? We'll be arriving on a sunday.

Day 1
Reach Kyoto at 11am (leave luggage at hotel near Shijo station)
-Lunch at Nishiki Market (can walk from my hotel)
-Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion
-Philiospher�fs Walk
-Nanzenji
-Heian Shrine
-Kiyomizudera (evening, heard it's open in the evening/night during cherry blossom season)

Night - Maruyama Park for night viewing of cherry blossoms

Day 2
-8am - Move luggage from hotel to ryokan at gion
-Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine (spend about 45min - 1hr here)
-Kinkaku-ji - the golden pavillion
-Ryoanji Temple
from 12pm - Arashiyama
-evening - go back to ryokan at Gion for dinner
Night-Gion area

Day 3
Morning- Nijo Castle & Imperial Palace
Afternoon - Miyako odori performance
4pm - travel to Osaka to stay for the night

We'll be taking an overnight flight(7hrs) to Kyoto... Does this itinerary look alright? We don't mind taking cabs sometimes if it helps to save time.
Would appreciate any input to optimise it. thanks lots :)

Hi - I think your agenda is a little too crowded and you'll end up running around with little time to appreciate the places. For example you could spend hours visiting Kiyomizu-Dera, but I wonder if you might not be feeling tired by the time you get there on your first day. A friend and I did this itinerary in reverse (Kiyomizu to Silver Pavilion) but over 2 days with rest time in the afternoon to stroll around Gion, Pontocho and Nishiki Market.

On the second day, Fushimi Inari and Kinkaku-ji are at opposite end of town.

I'm not saying it's impossible to do, just that you might end up spending only a short time in each place - fine if that is how you like to visit.

I am travelling to Japan for the first time in April and hoping to see the cherry blossoms in Kyoto too! Reading your itinerary makes me wonder why you are staying at a different place every night? Why not just pick one? Osaka is only a short train ride away. I too am struggling with how many sights to try to fit in, as opposed to just absorbing the old town atmosphere. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for your feedback.
i'll actually be spending 5 days in Japan covering Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Himeji.
staying 2 nights in Kyoto & 3 nights in Osaka. Wanted to stay in motonago ryokan but it's too expensive to stay for 2 nights, hence spending the 1st night in kyoto at a cheaper place.

Plan to spent the 4th day going to Himeji castle (morning) & Arima Onsen (afternoon)and fifth day in Nara & Osaka. We leave japan on the morning on the 6th day.

I've been to Kiyomizudera, nishiki mkt, arashiyama before but my friends have not.

Perhaps I'll move nishiki market to the 3rd day after imperial palace visit and if still not enough time, maybe Fushimi inari to the 3rd day after the miyako odori dance. Does that seem more feasible?

Your day two schedule will be just about impossible to meet.

If you go to Fushimi Inari, do not miss Tofukuji which is nearby and also very nice

You should rework your schedule in order to avoid having to completly cross Kyoto to go from one place to thenext.

Your schedule for day one is quite good in that respect.

Enjoy your trip, Kyoto is a wonderful place

I agree that you have set a pretty hectic schedule, but it is feasible. I'm not sure when you are coming, but Himeji Castle is set to undergo a five-year external renovation beginning April 12th, 2010. Cherry blossoms are sublime there, as the throngs of people will attest, and I've heard that the they've made arrangements to allow people to see the repairs up close for a reduced cost. That sounds interesting to me, but I doubt you are going there to see repairs. Lunch in Nishiki might also look better on paper than in practice. Nishiki is really cool, but there really isn't a place to have lunch. Kawaramachi itself is full of places though.