Arashiyama Monkeys, Iga Ueno in 1 day?

I am trying to plan my trip to Kyoto and need help from those who are familiar with the area.

I was wondering if it's possible to visit the Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama AND Iga Ueno for the Ninja museum, house and show in a single day. I know it must take a lot of time to travel back and forth to central Kyoto. Maybe there is an easier, more direct route to get from Arashiyama to Iga Ueno?

If not, how long do you think it will take to visit the Monkey Park and return if I head out early in the morning from Kyoto station? And if I set out early for Iga Ueno instead, how long would it take to see the Ninja museum/house/show and return back to Kyoto station?

There are so many places to see in and around Kyoto, so it's quite difficult to plan.

Thanks!

It takes around 2.5 hours to get to Uenoshi Station from Kyoto Station.

If you started the day early, you could do Monkey Park and Iga Ueno in a day. It will be expensive, but doable.

The ninja museum and demonstrations do not take that long to see. Iga Ueno Castle is just above the Ninja Museum, too, so you could go there if you are interested.

I'd estimate 2 hours in each place.

Thanks for letting me know that you think it is doable. That's the optimism I was looking for...

However, I'm still concerned. I noticed that the Ninja museum doesn't open until 9am. So say I leave early in order to get there by 9... I'm going to add an extra hour on top of your 2 suggested hours because the Ninja show doesn't start until 11am. So that means I would be ready to leave Iga Ueno at noon. 2.5 hours of travel back will bring me back to Kyoto station at 2:30pm. I am going to assume that I can get to Arashiyama by 3-3:15pm. That gives me 30-45 minutes to get to the top of the mountain with an hour to spare for enjoying the park (before it closes at 5pm). Doesn't this schedule sound very, very tight?

By the way, the Iga Ueno page on this site says travel time by train takes 1.5 hours. Is your 2.5 hours of estimated travel time taking into account waiting and other factors or something? Oh yeah, I will be using a JR pass and will be there in August.

Also, how early can I take a train out to Iga Ueno? Is there a faster way to get from Iga Ueno to Arashiyama without having to get off/reboard trains at Kyoto station?

I just had a second idea. I previously planned a whole day devoted to Nara. Looking at the train line map, I realized Nara is between Kyoto and Iga Ueno. Maybe visiting these two places on the same day is another (better?) option. It's important to me that I cover most of the main attractions in Nara. Unfortunately, I don't know how much time that entails. Will it be possible to do this and still have time to get to Iga Ueno?

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help.

(thanks for mentioning the proximity of the castle too)

If you catch the train at Uenoshi station at 12:19(13:19) on weekday, you will arrive at JR Nara at 13:29(14:29). So yes you will be able to visit the attractions in central Nara especially in summer. You will have no time to visit Nara National Museum or attractions in west of central Nara, though.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2165.html

Yes, Nara would be a better place to combine with Iga Ueno.

You won't be able to see EVERYTHING in Nara, but you could see Todaiji, Kofukuji, Nara Park, and Kasuga Shrine easily enough. Depending on your pace, you may even be able to see a bit more. And if you don't have to wait for the show or demonstration at Iga Ueno or you skip the castle, it may even take less than 2 hours there.

well it's only my impression, but I like the Nara deer (make them bow before you feed them) much better than the monkeys, which I have to say are not particularly pleasant. Miyajima deer are cuter coz they are smaller for some reason, and the Nara ones get a bit pesky, but you might find that spending time in the park with them is more fun than the monkey park, though I havent been to that. There are heaps of monkeys at the Kyoto zoo, by the way, which is pretty cute if a little shabby. 5 minutes of the monkeys fornicating, defecating, and urinating with and on each other was quite enough for me, and I lost the urge to meet them in the wild. There was also an epically lazy orangutan there.

With good connections, the trip from Kyoto Station to Ueno-shi Station takes just 90 minutes, but good connections do not seem to be good during the mornign hours:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4353.html

Note that the connection at Iga-Ueno Station is often so good, that Hyperdia wrongly assumes that there is not enough time to make the transfer (but in fact there is), resulting in a 1 hour wait at Iga-Ueno Station. In that case, you want to look up each section separately. The average person does not require more than 1-2 minutes to make the transfer at Iga-Ueno Station.

Thanks everyone for the responses

Looks like I have some decisions to make. I'm hesitant on making Nara a half-day trip, especially because it's the 1300th anniversary year! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some deer roam free. I saw a video on the 1300th anniversary of Nara and they mentioned several events that will be taking place while I'm there. Is there anything special that I should make a priority?

I may just drop the monkey park since I won't have time to do anything else fun in Arashiyama. This will allow me to see more of Kyoto than I would have otherwise and I'll still have a full day for Nara. It will also allow me to take in the day's activities without having to constantly worry about time. I can always visit the Takasakiyama or Yamanouchi monkey parks next visit to Japan. :)

Thank you, Uji, for letting me know that the connection time is almost instant. That's always a plus when you don't have to wait much for a transfer. Train scheduling is probably going to be one of my biggest concerns throughout the trip.