Best hours to visit Fushimi Inari?

Ifm going to be in Kyoto for 6 days during March and wanted to know which hours were the best to visit the top tourist attractions. Kiyomizudera, fushimi inari, bamboo forest and kinkakuji?

Which are the least crowded hours and the best ones for pictures?

Anywhere between 9am and 3pm normally are the busy peak times. So on some days you need to hit these locations at 7 am or late afternoon.

I went at 6:30am and the only people I saw were fellow Spaniards like me. It's the best time to photograph the torii without people....

Kinkakuji is always busy, as it doesn't open until mid-morning. Fushimi Inari is open 24/7, and best to visit before 8am.

i suggest actually the very late evening / night.
it seems that many superstitious japanese are scared to walk it during the night, cause it gets a haunted feeling. so you will basically encounter less people overall

Kiyomizudera - If you must go, very early would be my suggestion. I find Kiyomizu over-rated and unpleasant- lots of other alternatives.
Fushimi Inari - I like afternoons for the light (helps with photographs), but it depends on the time of year. I know others recommend early in the morning, but you can't do all sights at 7 a.m. - something need to be in the middle of the day.
Bamboo forest (assuming Arashiyama) - avoid mid-day, but it's going to be busy. There are other bamboo graves around Kyoto that give nice photos and a trip to Arashiyama should be for some of the other attractions the place has to offer. (By the time I get to noon, I'm escaping by taxi.)
Kinkakuji - any time of the day - it doesn't really matter because its crowded.

Great tips. Wefre probably going to spend a whole day at Arashiyama so I was wondering if the bamboo grove should be done at the start or in the afternoon?

Also which are other nice and no so crowded bamboo groves in Kyoto? (Not so far from the city)

Great tips. Wefre probably going to spend a whole day at Arashiyama so I was wondering if the bamboo grove should be done at the start or in the afternoon?

Also which are other nice and no so crowded bamboo groves in Kyoto? (Not so far from the city)

At 6:30am, there was only one other shutterbug there with me. When I was done and heading back to the station (7:30) so I can head out to Kanazawa, there were waves of people arriving and most likely ruining the early morning ambiance....

I've been to Fushimi Inari several times at different timing. Essentially, the first twin Torii entrance will be constantly crowded and congested as people will take iconic photos here. The crowd will disperse as you go further up, depending on how high you're intending to go. Personally I felt 4pm was better, but it can get dark pretty soon especially in March, but the night view from the look up point is amazing. And it's on a different level of challenge :)

I can't say for Kiyomizudera during day time, but usually they have some light-ups in Spring. It will offer a different experience with less crowd (although it will be still very crowded).

When I visited Kyoto we went to Kinkakuji early so that we were there before opening time. It was ok in terms of business, I didnft find it too crowded, though there were definitely other people lining up. You can take some good pictures there and it was nice enough, but it wasnft one of my favourite places to visit – it didnft take long for us to be finished with the grounds there. It was pretty enough but felt more like a check in a box.

We went to the bamboo forest in Arashiyama on a different day, maybe at 11 in the morning because we visited a temple there first. It was really crowded and I didnft like it because of that. I suspect going early would be better than the afternoon, but am not sure. Ifd also be interested in the answer to where there are less crowded bamboo forest in/near Kyoto (or Nara) for next time.

Fushima Inari I enjoyed a lot. We saved that one for the evening as there are many places in Kyoto you can/should visit in the morning but not a lot that are open elatef. We looked up online when sunset was (around 6 or something at the time) and went maybe half an hour before that. The beginning with the Torii gates was busy as Moccy mentioned, but as you go further the people thin out. There were a few other people with camerafs to photograph the sundown in the spot we picked, but the way back down to the gates was far less busy after the sun went down.

Hi there- I take groups of Australians to Japan a couple of times a year and we always visit Arashiyama. We get there around nine am, just before the big crowds hit. One thing I suggest there is to visit the music box shop behind the train station in the centre of town. It's magic!

Like others have said. Try and visit out of peak time. So before 8am and after 3-4 pm.

Visiting first thing in the early morning is great as many people won't be around so you will get perfect photos of the Torii gates. And also who doesn't enjoy a walk in the fresh crisp morning air?

While if you visit later in the evening make sure that you get to the Yotsutsuji intersection just before sunset as on a good day this offers a spectacular view of the sunset. Then the walk after dusk feels eerie which gives you a interesting atmosphere for the place.