Kyoto Itinerary Help

Hello,
I am going to be staying in Kyoto for two full days on July 17-18. There are a lot of places I would like to go, but with only two days, I need a good itinerary!

Here are the places I want to go:

Nijo Castle
Kiyomizudera
Sanjusangendo
Kinkakuji
Gion
Nishiki Market
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Nanzenji
Ryoanji
Chionin

Is this even possible? I think I'll have to take out some, are there any temples in the list that are quite similar/not as interesting? Please help me plan my itinerary! suggested time for each place would be helpful as well.

It also happens that the Gion Matsuri is on the 17th, I would like to participate in this festival as well, how can I incorporate this into my itinerary? I don't know when and where the main events of the festival will be on that day...

Oh, and by the way, would the temples be even more crowded as usual with the Gion Matsuri going on?

Thank you for all your help!

It all depends on how much time you intend on spending at the actual sights. Being a freelance photographer, I like to take my time but not everybody wants to do that. In any case, I always found that the main problem in Kyoto is that not all the sights are located very close to each other and that transport takes relatively a lot of time. My parents in law fixed that problem by using one of those "rent a taxi for a day" services and that were very positive about that experience as apart from their own itinerary, they got shown some pretty exciting, much less known locations. Unfortunately, I don't remember what the costs were for this service. Sorry. :-(

I spent several days in Kyoto and couldn't do all I wanted to do. So prioritise your sites and go from their and relaxes... Remember its not the quantity but the quallity of your visit

Thank you for your advice

Does anyone know how the Gion Matsuri will travel around the city on July 17? Where and when would be a good place to see it?

Also, I'm thinking of staying in a ryokan around the Gion area so that it is close to some temples and transportation. Could anyone recommend an authentic ryokan in that area that is less than 10,000 yen/night?

Thank you!

Oh, and could someone take a look at this itinerary and tell me if it will work? I will most likely be staying around the Gion area

Day1:
Nijo castle
Kinkakuji
Ryoanji
Gion (hopefully someone near the Gion Matsuri)

Day2:
Fushimi Inari
Kiyomizudera
Sanjusangendo
Nanzenji*
Chionji*
Nishiki Market

*May not go if time doesn't allow it.

I don't know how much time transportation will take from one place to another (from Gion to Nijo castle, or from Nijo castle to Kinkakuji, for example). Could you give me an estimated time? Thank you!

Jennifer
My wife and I are Going to Kyoto over the same days and found interaries at this web site.

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtp/index.html

I would go to the Nishiki Market on day one, before going to Nijo, as food markets all around the world start early and close early (unless they are night markets).On day 2 it will take you at least 2 hrs, preferably 4hrs to go to the Fushimi Inari shrine and back. Do try to walk up the mountain as far as it goes then go down the back slope. eventually you will come back towards the path you first took. Bring water and some food with you (there is a convenience store near the JR station, on the left side when you leave the station)

If you haven't booked accomodation, you should do it ASAP. it's very hard to get accomodation in Kyoto, esp during festivals! & I think if you only have a budget of 10,000JPY/nite, probably hard to find accomodation.
It's more convenient taking bus to the attractions than subway. If you have 2-3 people in the group, may be more economical & faster to take taxi cos distances between the various attractions are not that far. For eg. we took a cab from kiyomizudera to nishiki market, & it actually cost less than taking a bus as we need to change buses.

Yes I have already booked accomondation at Ryokan Rikiya.

I will be staying in Japan for 9 days, do you think it'll be worth it to go to Koyasan for a night after Kyoto? It seems to be rather expensive for my budget, but I want to see somewhere less crowded too... Is there a good alternative to a relatively isolated/traditional japanese place near Kyoto or Tokyo that is similar to Koyasan? Thank you