Kyoto one-day queries

Uji,
I've planned to visit kyoto one day - on 21oct2007-sunday. Below are few of my queries, which needed your advice :)

1) travel from shinosaka - kyoto by shinkansen nozomi 1380Y: need to buy in advance? or buy from counter on that departing day?

2) kyoto st to Toji : walking distance 20mins? follow which directions - signboard?

3) Toji – Sanjusangendo : bus no? or train?

4) Sanjusangendo – Kiyomizudera: walking distance 15mins? follow which directions- signboard?

5)Kiyomizudera – Kodaiji: walk? or bus no?

6)Kodaiji – Nanzenji: bus no?

7)Nanzenji – Heian Shrine: walk how long? or bus?

8)Heian Shrine – Ginkakuji:
walk how long? or bus?

9) lastly from Ginkakuji – Gion + Pontocho : bus no? or train?

I will leave osaka early morning and depart to tokyo at the end of this one day kyoto trip. Will appreciate your big help.

Thanks & regards

You can buy a Shinkansen ticket just before departure. The ride is only 15 minutes long so you don't have to reserve a seat. unfortunately you will not be able to experience the Nozomi at max speed!.
once in Kyoto station huge atrium, look for the tourist office on the mezanine floor .They are great and will give you maps, Write down the buses numbers or tell you which way to walk etc. (in English of course). you can also dowload a kyoto map from the internet ..or check one of the well known guide books..

lisa, unless you have a special reason to ride Shinkansen, Osaka-Kyoto is easily accessed by local trains. Take JR rapid and you'll arrive in Kyoto in 30 min. (540yen)

As for transportation in Kyoto, scroll down the page and click "Route Map."
http://www.city.kyoto.jp/koho/eng/access/transport.html

Dear all, Thanks for the feedback. I will get the English (bus+train) map from Kyoto Station and figured it out myself.
We havent ride on shinkansen before, and on a budget trip, we didnt get the JR Rail pass either, that's why we decided to take a short trip for experience purpose.:)

Question:- do you think the plan above is too tight for 1 day trip? (since we will be goin to tokyo for sight seeing later on) If the spot is similar to the one tokyo have, then we will exclude it. Please advise which spot we can drop it from our schedule.

One more last question: is this website www.123bus.net trushworthy? we will book the bus and pay online (kyoto - tokyo)if your feedback is ok. Thanks again

I think your plan is too extensive for anything like an enjoyable one day visit.
A lot of the places you mention are certainly "walkable", but you sure won't have much time to enjoy the places you want to visit. To start with, take a taxi from the station to Toji - you can walk there, but it takes more time than you'd think and some of the streets aren't pedestrian-friendly.

I agree, if budget is a concern why are you riding the Shinkansen? Yes I understand for "the experience", but it only lasts 15 minutes and It doesn't even travel at full speed in that section. JR runs a rapid train between Osaka and Kyoto that takes about 20 minutes but for about a 1/3 the price. Private railways such as Hankyu do it for even cheaper.

2) kyoto st to Toji : walking distance 20mins? follow which directions - signboard?


Yes. Go south-south-west and it won't be long before you can see the pagoda.


3) Toji �ESanjusangendo : bus no? or train?


Take a bus. Don't know the number.


4) Sanjusangendo �EKiyomizudera: walking distance 15mins? follow which directions- signboard?


Roughly 15-25 minutes. You really need a map.


8)Heian Shrine �EGinkakuji:
walk how long? or bus?


Probably 40 minutes walk. Take bus 206 from Higashiyama-Nijo to Hyakumanben. From there it is about 15 minutes walk. There might be a more convenient bus.


9) lastly from Ginkakuji �EGion + Pontocho : bus no? or train?


Take the 206 back from Hyakumanben to Gion.

HTH

The problem isn't seeing the Pagoda at Toji, after all, it's the tallest 5 story pagoda in Japan (though not the most attractive). The problem is finding your way over there, and I repeat - some of the streets are scary due to the traffic and narrow (if any) walk ways. Take a cab.

The problem is finding your way over there

There is a map here, via Google maps:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/kyoto-toji.htm

Click on "map" to get rid of the satellite view and you can easily drag the map to see the train station NW of the start point.

and I repeat - some of the streets are scary due to the traffic and narrow (if any) walk ways. Take a cab.

Kyoto traffic is light compared to most towns and cities in other countries.

i really can't agree with that last statement. i've seen days where kyoto traffic is about as bad as tokyo.
since you're heading for toji on the 21st, i assume you're going for kobosan. the traffic around toji on the days of kobosan is about 10 times worse than normal.
kobosan is fun but you'll find that for every antique there are about 100 times more junk items. you can even buy plastic kewpies for pete's sake. the masses move slowly at kobosan, and you might find yourself spending more time there than you planned. you're also at the far south edge (and west) of the main higashiyama attractions. as was mentioned earlier you're really going to be pressed for time to see all the places you want, and they all deserve enough time. i'd suggest going over the places you want to see and prioritizing. have a good trip.

Kyoto traffic is light compared to most towns and cities in other countries.

Not sure what other countries you have in mind. But when comparing Japanese cities, Kyoto must be one of the country's worst cities in terms of traffic planning and traffic jams, especially in the city center. Traffic along Shijo and other major roads frequently comes to a virtual standstill. I recommend to use use trains and subways whenever possible.

Hi, thanks fr the feedback.One more question,
it's stated that ride from Shin-Osaka Station to Kyoto Station costs 1380Y /15mins in : http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2363.html.

But results from grace.Hyperdia.com, it shows Shinosaka-kyoto by shinkansen nozomi costs 2390+540Y = 2390Y./ By hikari =2730Y

What is the actual price?
Thanks

I think you should go with the hyperdia. If i am not wrong, different seasons may have different pricing as well (but i'm not sure)

lisa21,
a commuter train, for example JR Kyoto line, is Yen 540 between ShinOsaka and Kyoto, has no surcharges and takes about 30 min. While going by shinkansen will cause heavy surcharges and wil take 15 min. But it makes no sense pricewise to take the shinkansen for such a short ride. Only when you have a JR Rail Pass you already use for other long distance ride then you take the shinkansen between ShinOsaka and Kyoto.

Lisa, the price is for an UNRESERVED SEAT on the Shinkansen for that route.
So if you were using hyperdia, select unreserved instead of reserved.

However as mentioned on the same page, you should just take the JR Special rapid train which is about 10 minutes slower but is a lot cheaper.

If you are near Osaka station, I reccommend taking Hankyu Railways Limited Express from Umeda for even cheaper if you are on a budget.

By local or rapid train:
25 minutes, 540 yen

By non-reserved seat on a limited express train:
20 minutes, 1170 yen

By reserved seat on a limited express train:
20 minutes, around 1700 yen

By non-reserved seat on the shinkansen:
15 minutes, 1380 yen

By reserved seat on a hikari or kodama shinkansen:
15 minutes, around 2700 yen

By reserved seat on a nozomi shinkansen:
15 minutes, around 2900 yen

Not sure what other countries you have in mind

I have visited many countries and cities; many in Europe but also Australia, USA, South East Asia etc. I have stayed in Tokyo many times and visited cities across Japan. Right now I am living in Kyoto.

The original poster asked about walking from Kyoto-eki to Toji which is roughly a 15 minute walk. User Tay said that "some of the streets are scary due to the traffic and narrow". Well Kyoto streets IMHO are not particularly scary and only as dangerous as any average street in Japan including Tokyo. Japan after all is a very safety conscious country; the only exception I can think of is rules for motorcycle helmets. I have walked along streets in New York city, Bangkok, London and Paris that have been far busier and felt much more safe on a busy street in Kyoto.

Traffic along Shijo and other major roads frequently comes to a virtual standstill

Major artery roads perhaps. Shijo ? That's like saying traffic on the Champs-Elysee gets busy. Of course it does. Nonetheless, walking on sidewalks in Kyoto is still safe.

The original poster was interested in travelling from Kyoto-eki to Toji. If they don't mind a ~15 minute walk then I am absolutely sure that even considering kobosan, it will not be any more dangerous to walk along sidewalks than in any other city in the world.

Taking a taxi for SAFETY REASONS would most definitely be overkill. If you feel so inclined then staying at home is a lot safer.

Koan,
Surely you know that in Japan small streets don't have sidewalks?
there is only a painted white line on the pavement as virtual sidewalk. And of course bikes go there, cars park there, so for a foreign tourist, especially Americans over 25 who appears to be--judging by so many posts on this site-- so easily flustered and confused by anything slightly different, walking on such a street, even with moderate traffic, would be nerve wracking. hence the recommendation about a cab.

You should not be concerned about safety when walking through the streets of Kyoto!

If the streets happen to have no designated walkway for pedestrians, just use some additional caution regarding traffic coming from behind.

Major artery roads perhaps.

In my experience, Kyoto is worse than other Japanese major cities when it comes to traffic jams and traffic planning. You can stuck in traffic jams and barely move at all along many of Kyoto's major roads. It rarely gets that bad in other Japanese cities.

Shijo ? That's like saying traffic on the Champs-Elysee gets busy.

Traffic along the Champs-Elysees is much smoother than along Shijo. I remember a specific evening, when it took my wife 45 minutes to travel about 500 meters by bus along Shijo. Situations like that are rarely seen in other Japanese cities nowadays. And it certainly does not happen along the Champs-Elysees.

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