5 Days in KYOTO: What to skip?

15 comments

1. First of all 5 days is a lot in my opinion, I’ve had only 3 days to visit and didn’t manage to do all I’ve planned on doing but if I’ve had one more day I could’ve done everything. My recommendation would be:

   +) Kiyomizudera as it’s one of the most beautiful/unique temples I’ve ever been to. Has a bit of Tomb Raider vibe to it with all the wooden support beams etc.

   +) Definitely advise you to skip ginkakuji(the silver pavilion), not only there’s no silver but also it looks exactly the same like the kinkakuji (golden pagoda) minus the gold.

   +) Fushimi Inari is nice, you should go there but I’d reconsider climbing all the way to the mountain top thru all the Tori gates, it takes much more time than you’d expect to go halfway not to mention all the way to the top. Still, the views from higher ground are really nice and it should be less crowded the more you go up. You should definitely explore the Tori at the bottom though

   +) Nishiiki market is great but idk about the current state of it with covid. You should look up some of the specialties on the internet and search for shops that interest you

   +) Gion district is cool if you’re into historical districts. You should literally wander thru there as there’s not that much to do except see the beautiful wooden buildings, take pictures or stop at a restaurant to have lunch

   +) Arashiyama is worth going, it shouldn’t be that crowded with covid but then again, Tokyo oftentimes surprised me with how many people are out on the streets again despite the covid situation. Also it’s quite far from other attractions so you should plan like half a day to go there

   +) hot springs/onsen are not that good tbh. Kyoto isn’t really blessed with rich thermal waters and it doesn’t have any onsen I’d recommend going to. I’ve been to one in Osaka and it was much bigger and generally way better than a small one in Kyoto

   Idk the other attractions you wrote about, didn’t go so I’m not gonna say whether it’s worth it or not

   +) on a side note being used to Tokyo’s superior public transport system I’ve gotta say Kyoto’s public transport got me really disappointed. I got the two day pass for buses and metro but the metro doesn’t really go to any of the tourist attractions I’ve wanted to visit (and visited) and buses take ages to go from one place to another especially if there’s a traffic jam on one of the main roads(especially on the one to Gion) Therefore I’d recommend renting a car if you’ve got a license and a budget for it. Especially since there’s two of you it’d make sense imo

2. For temples, there is enough in Kyoto that you will just naturally bump into a bunch even if you do nothing special. It’s quite easy to find what are the famous one, like Kiyomizu-dera or Kinkaku-ji. I think it depend on what you are looking for. If you do not have strong interest, you can just check out some random temple and shrine that are free to visit, as the famous one tend to get crowded.

   Fushimi Inari get insane crowded. Everybody suggest to go early to avoid the crowd, if you go during the day, apparently the further up you go, the less people there is. Still, you should absolutely avoid going in the middle of the day.

   Nishiki market is not that big. I do not see what would be the benefit of visiting multiple times. If you want to taste many of the food that they sell there, then yes, it could be worth going more than once, otherwise, a single visit is probably enough.

   Kyoto is not especially known for onsen, there is some around Arashiyama or a bit further outside of Kyoto. Question is, do you just want to have the bath or do you want to stop for a night at a ryokan and have a kaiseki meal included, that is quite different experience. Actually, if you want to properly experience and good onsen, you might as well get out of Kyoto and go somewhere like Arima onsen in Kobe.

   Gion, there is not much to do apart from looking around. There is many stores on the street in front of Yasaka Shrine, especially shop selling tea and matcha flavored dessert and yes, there is places to rend yukata/kimono in the area.

   Arashiyama bamboo grove can get quite crowded, if you want to see bamboo and get a more quiet place, then you’ll have to search for a bit less popular area.

   I’ve been to Fushimi sake district and first place I was was Gekkeikan where they had a paid exhibit, that I did not go to as I previously went to two sake brewery that had free exhibit and tasting in Kobe. I went to Hakutsuru and Kiku-Masamune, that are only two of the several brewery you can visit in Kobe.

3. Fushimi Inari – Go early in the morning, it won’t be crowded

   Nishiki Market, you can see it in 30 minutes, it’s basically just a mall, the food area is cool, the rest are just pretty generic shops

   Monkey Park, It is short but brutal hike up that mountain, takes about 30-45 minutes up a pretty steep incline. Monkeys won’t run up to you. Don’t touch the monkeys they are still wild and violent. you’ll be a few feet from them though.

   hot springs, kyoto doesn’t have any natural hotsprings, so it’ll basically just be a onsen shaped hot tub at some hotel

   Arashiyama, you can see before you do the monkey park. yes it gets crowded but honestly there’s not a whole lot to arashiyama area, walk around, see the bamboo, ride the train, see the monkeys.

4. **Temples**: Tofuku-ji, Nanzen-ji, Daitoku-ji, if during autumn foliage, although Tofuku-ji gets extremely crowded. Nanzen-ji mix of subtemples gives you a relatively good overview of different temples and garden styles. Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji are the iconic temples in Kyoto.

   **Fushimi Inari**: There is a reason, why it is recommended to visit before 7-8am, or an hour or so before sundown.

   **Nishiki Market**: This is mostly a fresh food market. If you plan to shop than Terimachi-dori might be more to your liking.

   **Iwatayama**: There are plenty of monkeys at the top.

   **Hot springs**: There are ryokan with private baths, however, if you are looking for a full private onsen than Kurama Onsen is probably your best (or overnight trip to Kinosaki Onsen),

   **Gion**: Yes, you can rent a yukata/kimono.

   **Arashiyama Bamboo Grove**: Yes, it gets very crowded.

   **Fushimi Sake District**: No, there are no free tours. There are paid tours with tasting.

   **TOEI Kyoto Studio Park**: This is really an experience for the kids.

5. Skip the monkey park. It’s a 20 minute slog up a hill then seeing the monkeys gets old after five minutes.

   Fushimi Inari is definitely worth it. It doesn’t close so you could do it after sundown with some flashlights or headlamps. Would probably be a bit spooky and cool. Don’t wimp out halfway like a lot of people, go all the way to the top.

   If you want something relaxing you can do the philosophers path. Or skip it.

   If you do Kinkakuji (golden temple) I’d recommend also going to Ryoanji with its famous rock garden. Both are a bit out of the way though.

   Sanjusangendo is really cool, especially since after you see a few temples/shrines they all look the same.

   Instead of Gion, I’d recommend checking out Pontocho instead, but after sunset when you can see the lanterns lit up. Restaurants there can be a bit expensive or catering to tourists though.

6. Here’s my “two cents worth” on where to go in Kyoto. My wife and I spent 2018 and 2019 visiting Japan, but we didn’t spend more than three days in Kyoto each time. We used Kyoto and five others cities as “home base” and made sure we had time to visit places outside of the Home bases. Our first trip we saw temples and shrines on Kyoto’s east side: Kiyomizudera, Heian Shrine, Fushimi Inari Shrine (with the thousand torii gates and Sanjusangendo. The next day we went to the west side of Kyoto for Kinkakuji Temple (gold temple), Ryoanji Temple and (not a temple, but area of Kyoto) Arashiyama and the bamboo forest. The Arashiyama area very crowded, but the walk through the bamboo tree area was good. Also worth seeing is the Former Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle. Both of these are on the east side of Kyoto. If you’re not going to Osaka you can make your way down to Nara from Kyoto to visit the Temples and Shrines there. There were crowds all over Kyoto (we visited in October of both years), but it was still enjoyable to see the sights. For those people who have enjoyed “The Tale of Genji,” the final few chapters of the Tale was written in Uji, Japan. Uji is accessable by train from Kyoto and also has the Byodoin Temple which is a nice walk from the train stations.

7. I visited Kyoto November 2020 as a resident. Not a fan of museums or loud nightlife either (although I went to the Kyoto Railway Museum) I didn’t visit too many temples or shrines too, but I was willing to go to the ones that were either: a) unique OR; b) free admission

   Nanzenji for its a brick aqueduct from the 1890s, Fushimi Inari for its thousands of Torii gates, Eikando (600 yen) as it was known for fall colours, Shimogamo Shrine for its history, Chion-in, Yasaka Shrine, saw the great Torii Gate of Heian Shrine, Yasaka Koshindo as it was on the way to Ninennzaka.

   I wish I visited Kyoto Imperial Palace – didn’t know it was free and was closed when I biked by it – I skipped Kiyomizudera and Kinkakuji since they were under construction.

   If you have 5 days, I absolutely recommend you use one day to visit Nara: go see Kasuga Taisha Shrine, deer in Nara Park, and the Great Buddha in Todaiji.

   Other things:

   * **Shop at Nishiki Market** – I actually went to the adjacent Nishi-kyogoku Shopping Street instead. It’s a typical Japanese roofed shopping street, but it’s more fun than a concrete builidng shopping mall for sure. Not something that you should dedicate many hours though. I only visited since I had a gap in my itinerary that day.
   * **Monkey Park Iwatayama** – I skipped this. For the view of fall colours along the ravine, you can take a walk up to Arashiyama Park Observation Deck. If you want a view of the city, hike up the back trail of Chion-in and go see the view from the Higashiyama Park Observatory and Shogunzuka/Seiryuden (they are walking distance within eachother).
   * **Wander through the Gion District** – If you want to see the streets that people imagine when they think of Kyoto, this is the area. Hanami-koji, Ninnenzaka, Sannenzaka are popular photography spots.
   * **Arashiyama Bamboo Grove** – Visit as early as you can! Arashiyama was packed even without inbound tourists!

8. Check out Uji, the birth place of Matcha. The area outside of the train station is scenic and not many tourists as it is not well known. it’s a hidden gem.

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10. Sake tastings should be reserved in advance if you want an English language one. Some sake breweries may have 1 staff member who can speak english, if at all.

11. > Fushimi Inari Shrine Hike Through Torii Gates

    Ideally go on a weekday, either in the morning or in the evening. If it’s raining a little, even better, there will be next to no tourists.

    > Monkey Park Iwatayama

    On the way up you can enjoy some rather funny Engrish. There are staff, but they are mainly there to stop you from doing anything stupid – interacting with the monkeys. Te monkeys mainly stick to themselves, you are not even supposed to look them in the eyes as to not anger them. There is a building from where you can feed them trough a wire fence though. Honestly, the view from up there was the best thing. Overall a rather forgettable experience though.

    > Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

    Yes and honestly, it’s not *that* cool. Though supposedly, there is more secluded part with next to no tourists there somewhere.

12. If you go to the monkey park, you’ll see a little sign that says “Best view” keep walking down the riverside until you get to the end and you’ll find a path up to a little mountainside temple. You pay 500 Yen to a monk up there and you can go inside and enjoy the views. It’s really pretty and relaxing and the walk along the river is really nice too.

13. The highlight of my trip to japan was going to Arashiyama just after dawn. We naturally woke up at 5 AM due jet lag on day 2 and had the entire grove to ourselves which was jaw dropping. If you go in the middle of the day it definitely loses its magic and gets super crowded. We also went to fushimi just after dawn. Again awesome being near totally alone (saw 2 other people) but it’s much easier to walk up the mountain some and be alone at fushimi than it is at arashiyama which is much smaller.

14. >Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

    This in itself is not a great reason to visit Arashiyama. There are some nice temples, like the one filled with moss. But since you’re not interested in them, I would avoid it.

    If you go to Fushimi Inari and take some of the alternate routes, you will already be walking through bamboo groves. Not quite as manicured as the Arashiyama one, but similar.

15. Fushimi Inari I went in 2019 with my brother and a church group. Unfortunately everyone else got super tired and weren’t really in good condition to walk to the top so I was disappointed about that 😅 it was crowded more towards the bottom area since a lot of people tend to drop out instead of climbing all the way to the top. There are supposed to be monkeys around and they have signs up to tell us not to go near them. The shrine in general has a really unique look to it.

    Toei Kyoto Studio Park was really fun for us. I went there last in 2015 when I was in my last year of high school with my family. We loved it. They had a ninja show, and they also did a demo on how they make movies there but it was all in Japanese. They have some souvenir shops.

    I ended up getting an umbrella that had a samurai sword hilt. it was a pain to explain to the staff xD but we managed to have it sent under the airplane since they wouldn’t allow it to be a carry on. My japanese was worse back then xD my dad kept telling me to tell them under the airplane so I said it but I guess they didn’t understand 😅