Mara

I don't know about London but the couple of taxis I took in Kyoto in 2014 seemed quite inexpensive to me compared to NYC, and no tipping.

kja

As noted above, when I was there (May 2006), some of the traffic on surface roads was so congested that traveling by taxi was MORE costly in time than subways -- again, I think it depends on your route, the traffic, etc. But I agree that a taxi would be faster than a bus.

"are there any other places that need to be pre-booked?"

The "Moss Temple, " aka Saihoji, aka Kokedera --
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3937.html
I haven't seen it yet -- but oooh, I would like to!

If you are interested in trying French-kaiseki, I highly recommend Misogigawa, for which a reservation (and a splurge budget) would be advisable.
http://www.misogui.jp/eng/

Enjoy!

MinnBeef

Agree with kja. I was in Kyoto for koyo in Nov. 2013 and many of the streets were jam packed. Except for where the subway doesn't go, I simply don't see how a taxi could be faster than the subway. And the subway was cheap and very easy to navigate. Just my two cents.

SambaChula

I always took public transportation, bus or subway. People invariably came up to me to ask "May I speak to you in English?" Although theirs may be limited, take advantage of the opportunity to get some info if you can.

BigRuss

The lone problem with the subway in Kyoto is lack of options. The subway system is not extensive. Don't be fooled by this: http://youinjapan.net/maps/kyoto/kyo..._train_map.png

There are two subway lines, some local JR lines and a bunch of private railway lines and you need to be able to suss out which is which and which goes where.

The bus system is better.

kja

Re: Kyoto's subway / train system, BigRuss wrote: "There are two subway lines, some local JR lines and a bunch of private railway lines and you need to be able to suss out which is which and which goes where."

I was able to sort that all out quite easily in advance of my trip. I'm sorry that I don't remember which web-based routing system I accessed, but it was really very easy to use -- I entered start and end points and got all the info I needed to decide on which stations, which lines, etc. Maybe that resource no longer exists? If not, you might ask at your hotel or take a few moments to stop at a Tourist Information office -- I think there's one in the main train station -- to get routing information. Again, my reasoning is that with SO little time in the city, and at a busy time, knowing your options to avoid snarled surface transit might be to your advantage.

Mara

Also japan-guide.com's Kyoto pages have travel directions to each site along with little maps - also the Kyoto bus map has a lot of info about accessing the sites:

http://youinjapan.net/maps/kyoto/kyoto_bus_map.pdf

It's really not all that difficult and if I recall from her other thread, janisj is staying in a fairly central location...

janisj

Ok -- just back from a couple of days at Lake Tahoe and working on my Kyoto/Tokyo trip again. I do understand there are public transport options in Kyoto - but <i>assuming</i> I'm going to take at least a few taxis, are they easy to hail on the street or are there taxi ranks around?

I got an e-mail today from my guest house . . . apparently it is a 'personless' check in

There are key lockers by the front door, one will have my name on it. I have a code # to use to open it and get my keys to both the front door and my room… Jetlagged and late in the evening . . . Yes that will be interesting

Mara

I didn't take taxis but I did notice their proliferation particularly at any tourist site - and I believe you just hail them on the street. I guess at a site they are in some order - should be no problem.

A personless check-in...lol....I saw a show on NHK World recently, and the hotel had robots at the front desk....

kja

Personless?!? Wow! Please do report back on that experience, janisj!

hawaiiantraveler

we had the same type of person less entry on our last Kyoto machiya rental. Simple as keys are on the door in a lock box. Bring your phone flashlight with you in the dark. I am assuming you will taking a taxi from Kyoto Station at that time of night. Lots of Kyoto taxi drivers speak a little English. We take taxis almost exclusively now in Japan cities and countryside towns if I don't have a rent a car. Have the address of the place you want to go to but more importantly have the phone #. Japan GPS works on telephone numbers too. Good luck!

Aloha!

Kavey

I've been to a couple of personless checkins in the UK in the last few years - amusingly, they ALL have had lots of staff around to help people, presumably because they discovered their interfaces weren't as intuitive as they hoped!!

janisj

I was worrying about getting in late -- I land at Narita in the late afternoon/early evening, have to pick up my rail pass, figure out the trains and get to Kyoto. So not having to worry about being there by a certain check in time -- the person-less reception actually might be a plus. As long as it works -- I definitely don't want to sleep on the sidewalk waiting til the housekeeping staff shows up in the morning

So now I can sort of relax and not have to race through the airport trying to catch a train.

janisj

Kavey -- were the UK hotels travelodges? I've been to a couple that had self serve check in kiosks - but in both there was a person to do it for you.

Kavey

No, they were Citizen M hotels, Janis. x