Kyoto 4.5 Day Itinerary Advice

I have four and a half days to spend in Kyoto (arrival in the morning, three full days and a half day when I get back from Himeji in the afternoon) in early February. I am leaving very soon and am trying to get this itinerary for the last portion of my trip sorted.

I would like to know if this sounds feasible, allowing adequate time at each location to do comfortably and making use of the subways/buses/trains accordingly. If you have a more efficient means of doing this or suggest better places to visit, I would be very grateful for your input or advice.

DAY 1:
Arrival in Kyoto (09:00-10:00)
Toji )) Honganji )) Nijo Castle )) Nishiki Market )) Pontocho (Dinner/Night)

DAY 2:
Fushimi Inari Shrine )) Tofukuji )) Sanjusangendo - Kiyomizudera - Kodaiji - Gion (is it possible to walk between these?)

DAY 3:
Ginkakuji )) Heian Shrine )) Nanzenji

DAY 4:
Daitokuji )) Kinkakuji )) Ryoanji )) Toei Eigamura

HALF DAY:
Katsura Rikyu (OR Toji/Honganji if its more convenient than to do it the first day)

I really need some help with this as I'm quite terrible at figuring out how much time we'll want to allocate where and whatnot. Thank you.

one thing about Japan: it always take much longer than one think to visit a place.. many temples and shrines aren't one buildings but a lot of them in a garden or park.

DAY 1:
Toji is a 15 minutes walk south of JR Kyoto main station. You will likely be awed by the station and spend some time there (every person I took there forgot all about their list of temples for the day and spent hours exploring the station, all the way to the walkway built right under the roof).. first delay. don't forget to check the tourist office there. they will give you maps and tell you how to go from here to there. Honganji? which one? there are 2 of them, both North of the station and 5 minutes away. (the main buildings in each one are under a huge tarp for a few more years). Nijo Castle: you either take a bus from JR station (more delay) or walk at least 40 minutes. Nishiki Market: like all food markets it is better to see it before noon for sure but you could try. it is between Nijo and Pontocho (close to the latter) if you walk in a diagonal line from Nijo to Pontocho. Pontocho is about 30 minutes walk east of Nijo.That area has lots of things to look at!. . This will be a busy afternoon (are you going to the hotel right after arriving in Kyoto?)
DAY 2:
Fushimi Inari Shrine: do you want to walk 40 minutes to go there with all the walking to do today? NO! go to the JR main station and take the JR train on the Nara line. It takes from 2 to 4 hrs to look at the main buildings of the Fushimi-Inari shrine, at the streets around it and to walk up the mountain (lots of stairs!)under 10 000 red torii. This is my favorite shrine in Kyoto. Tofukuji: you can walk to there from Fushimi-Inari by walking in the streets close to the JR tracks back towards Kyoto. Sanjusangendo: you can walk there too from the previous temple then to Kiyomizu-dera (another area where you have to spend a couple of hours and it is worth it). Kodaiji (close at 5 pm.) is 10 minutes North of Kiomizu-dera and Gion is not that far past Kodai-ji another very long day..with too much to see.
DAY 3:
Ginkakuji )) Heian Shrine )) Nanzenji. this day is relatively easier but I would take buses even though one waste time.. if you can ride bikes you could try to rent one?

DAY 4:
Daitokuji )) Kinkakuji )) Ryoanji )) Toei Eigamura. again do uses buses for the temple and a train for for the Toei place. again there are too many sights on your platter.

HALF DAY:
Katsura Rikyu I would just take it easy and go back to one place you saw before and liked a lot.
I truly think that you are "templing/ shrining" yourself to death! unless you are an architectural student you don't have to see all these temples and palaces, especially considering that you are missing hundreds of places that are just as interesting as the ones on your list. It would be better to only see 2 places a day and to take time to really enjoy these places but also to make unusual discoveries like small stores, tiny neighbourhood shrines, shopping arcades etc. My partner was born near Kyoto and I grew up in western Europe, living in a 100 years old building, going to school in a 300 years old one, to church in a 900 years one.. etc. in both Japan and Europe locals, even those like me, who not only like historical buildings but worked at restoring and renovating old private homes, only visit an historical building in another town a few times a year as there is such a thing as sensory overload. I do sincerely understand your desire to see as much as possible but you may feel like a kid allowed to sample every pastries in a pastry shop..

Re-reading my previous post I hope that you don't take it as too strong a criticism of your planning. You are trying to see some of the best known sights in Kyoto in a limited amount of time and you made a good and interesting schedule. It is only my opinion that you may not have enough time to appreciate each sight and that it might be a bit too much all at once. It's all depends on how interested you are in religious architecture, considering that many buildings have a similar style. it also depends on your stamina too. Of course if you feel too tired after the first 2 days you can cut down on what you wanted to do the following days.

Not at all, I thank you for your criticism. Realize this is more an 'ideal' plan than what will probably actually happen. If we get caught up somewhere, we will ignore our schedule should we be really enjoying a place and whatnot. However, I've tried making a few changes to make it easier on us.

DAY 1:
Arrival in Kyoto (09:00-10:00)
Daitokuji )) Kinkakuji )) Ryoanji )) *Ninnaji* (if we have time for Ninnaji or energy)

DAY 2:
Sanjusangendo )) Kiyomizudera )) Kodaiji )) Gion )) *Yasaka/Chionin* (If we have time/energy)

DAY 3:
Ginkakuji )) Heian Shrine )) Nanzenji

DAY 4:
Toji )) Nijo Castle/Nishiki )) Nishiki/Nijo Castle )) Pontocho (Dinner/Night) (If time / energy allows, maybe check out one of Tofukuji/Fushimi Inari)

HALF DAY:
Tofukuji or Fushimi Inari Shrine

Is this a somewhat more reasonable solution? Can it be done? Also our hostel is 9m from the station, we can leave luggage with reception, no curfew and we are also relying on subway/bus systems with a combination of walking to get to places.

Your second plan is a lot more do-able. Bear in mind that Daitokuji is a large temple complex and can take some time. If you want to try a zazen session, they are available there in the early morning with prior reservations. No charge, but donation appreciated. Most hotels can arrange it.
Unless you're visiting on the 21st of the month when the flea market occurs, I'd recommend skipping Toji.
Unless you're traveling with kids, I'd skip Toei Uzumasa Eigamura.
Uji is equally as interesting as Fushimi Inari, and is on the same train line.
Are you planning to see Nara? It's really worth a visit, as is Horyuji.

Thanks for your advice. Glad to know its a sufficient itinerary. And yes, On top of half a day in Himeji, we will be spending a full day in both Osaka and Nara.

Unless you're really keen you may end up suffering from temple fatigue. I found that a balance of my time between Osaka and Kyoto allowed me a greater balance of the old and new, and also made me appreciate what I saw in Kyoto a lot more.