Travelling fr places to places in Kyoto

Hi!Would appreciate any help i can get.

I would be visiting Kyoto in Dec for 3 nights.

These are the places I want to visit:

1.Kiyomizudera
2.Gion
3.Kinkakuji
4.Fushimi Inari
5.Arashiyama (issit worth visiting?)
6.Potoncho
7.Nishiki market
8.shijio kawaramachi (shopping?)

I'll be staying at Tour Club Hotel which is 9 mins walk from JR Kyoto.

Question is how should I plan my itinerary for the above?
I want to avoid detours and not waste time going back and forth.
What plan would make the smoothest journey?
What are the buses to take?
And is it worth it to get the One day Bus pass each day?

I've been to Kyoto twice and both time I have gotten the one day bus pass for all my travels and found it well worth the money. I found the buses very effecient, if a bit slower than trains, but it allows you to see all of the city.
For your itinerary I'm not too sure, so someone else would probably be better to answer that. I have done Kinkakuji, Fushimi Inari and Gion on the same day though and they are all quite far from eachother but I didn't feel rushed at all and found that quite doable.

My suggestion:
combine Kiyomizudera and the Higashiyama district with Gion on one day, Fushimi Inari with Nishiki market and Shijo shopping and a Pontocho dinner on another day, and Kinkakuji and Arashiyama on another day.

Here is the useful Kyoto bus map:
http://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/kotsu/cmsfiles/contents/0000019/...

kittywheaty: Thank u so much! I think I will get the one day bus pass.

Uji: That helped alot! By the way , what's Higashiyama district? I will look thru the bus map :) A Big Thank you!

credit:http://www.kyoto.travel

The Higashiyama area is one of the most �gKyoto-like�h areas in Kyoto, and the whole area is steeped in history. It is the home of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a World Heritage Site, as well as many famous landmarks and sights that visitor from across Japan and around the world.

Taking the bus to these places is probable the best option, but if your 3 nights stay in Kyoto is during the weekend, well, the busses can be very crowded, many traffic jams and a lot of people also visiting those places. The last time I was in Kyoto, I rented a electric bicycle at http://eng.rentacycle.jp/how-to-rent_e.html , very convenient, cheap and easy!

thank you for the website! I will check it out:D

As for the electric bike, it is automatic? That's interesting...I've never rode on one!

oh btw I wld be there for christmas! anywhere I can spend a nice Christmasy time in Kyoto?

yep, those electric bikes are automatic and they go as fast as 25Km/h and you can ' help' the electric engine by peddling, so if the battery runs flat than it's still possible to use it. With a full battery can you can ride about 55Km, but the newer models can go as far as 75km. It's big fun, very easy to use and handle :)

Also in Japan, Christmas is a big thing, so i think you won't have a problem to find a nice place to have Christmas. If you really wanna see something very special, you have to go to Kobe, they call it ' the city of light' during Christmas...