Kinkakuji, Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari and Nara

Hello! We have two days to visit the Golden Pavillion, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Fushimi Inari and Nara. Wanted to check what would be a wise combination considering we would like to appreciate everythng without having to hurry and less travel time/cost. Our hotel is located at Kyoto 58-2 Jyodoji Nishida-cho.

Option 1:
Day 1: arashiyama + fushimi inari
Day 2: golden paviliion + nara

Option 2:
Day 1: golden pavillion + arashiyama
Day 2: fushimi inari + nara

Would appreciate any other combination suggestion. Thank you! 😊

I would allocate the whole day for Nara. I enjoy interacting with the deers in Nara, so Todaiji/Kasuga-taisha/Kofukuji/deers take me all day.

Bamboo Grove + Kinkakuji + Fushimi Inari (if you do not go to the top of the hill) are doable in one day.

Thank you! Yes, out of all the places in Nara, we are most excited about the deers 😊 Just curious though, some say 3-4 hours is best for fushimi inari, though we do not plan on going all the way to the top. So that will almost take up the 2nd half of a day. Can we squeeze both bamboo grove and kinkakuji considering a more relaxed pace? Say we start the day by 9am?

Option 2.

Don�ft get too excited about the deer; they can be really vicious.

I think option 2 is better, but do Fushimi Inari very early in the morning to avoid the crowds. If you�fre not going to the top then you won�ft need much time.

Arashiyama can take a decent chunk of your day depending on what you plan to do there so beware of the closing time of Kinkakuji if you�fre planning to do them on the same day.

I also think option 2 is better.

Bring along insect repellent when you visit Fushimi Inari. I got lots of mosquito bites when I visited the place in July last year.

When I went to Fushimi Inari, I went about 6:30am. I was determined to make it to the top and come down the other path. It was worth it. There were hardly any people anywhere and the sense of accomplishment was quite good. It was an early morning workout that was quite rewarding. I went to Fushimi Inari back in March of 2013.

As far as Nara and the deer are concerned, I went to Nara in October 2017 and the deer treated me fine. As long as you are careful and pinch the very end of the senbei, they won't come close to your fingers. If you are done, just raise you hands as you walk close to them and then just avoid them when you're not interested in feeding/photographing them. Since they are considered messengers of the gods, there's an unwritten rule that you are not to touch them. True or not, that is a good practice to keep.

These are really helpful! I appreciate all your responses. Think we will go for option 2 then. Michang, at what tym were you able to go back to the main gate of fushimi if you started at 630am, please?

Sorry, I meant to say John B. 😊

I stopped to take many photos, talk to fellow Spaniards who were there and even to have a torii "made" for me with the date. I took many photos! I think I was back down about 8:30-9:00am?

If you want Arashiyama Bamboo "path" to yourself, I would also suggest arriving about 6:30am like I did. There was another fellow photographer who also had a tripod. The only distraction was a car driving through the path one time. About 30 minutes later, a Chinese group decided to set up shop in the middle of the path for a long photo shoot, complete with make-up artist, 2-3 photographers and other support people. Since I don't think permits are required, anyone can crowd your style and mess it up for the rest. When I was walking back to the station to head to Kanazawa, about 7:15-7:30, there were about 50 people headed in that direction. Bottom line, for the "de rigueur" shots, get there as early as the trains allow you to!

Got it, thank you very much! Will keep all these in mind. Appreciate all of you! 😊