emmagus

We are a bit late on booking time in April in Kyoto. Last time we rented a house in Higashiyama (not available and it was pretty pricey but we had my MIL last time). Most everything appears to be booked. Yes, we have to go in April, not flexible: kids spring break for my 14-year-olds and we need to fly over to handle some paperwork for MIL in a nursing home in Fujisawa. We loved that the boys could go out and about and poke around and buy souvenirs or Sembe or icecream with honey..... The house we rented was on a side street.
Any thoughts? Things are booking up (yes totally our fault but we needed the ticket prices to come down). We live in NY and really do NOT want to be on some busy drag. we see enough of that.

Second question: My one son loves nature and animals. We are staying in Fujisawa and Kyoto. Any places that are wonderful hikes for the day or places to see wild monkeys or?? not really sure...

thank you

bussa17

I personally like the south side Minami-Ku, close to the Inari Shrine and Tofuku-ji, I think is very quite and main train/bus staitions that connect you everywhere

kja

Well there’s the Monkey Park in western Kyoto (Arashiyama) and the very short walk through the bamboo forest not far from that, and the little train to or from Sagano….
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3912.html

Searching japan-guide.com for ANY of these interests should prove helpful.

Good luck!

Adastra2200

You don't specify the length of your trip. If you are going to return to Kyoto some day, it would be better if you focused on one area of the city. As long as you are near some subway or rail station, you should be able to do pretty well. With Japan loaded with mountains, there is no shortage of hiking. Locally, going to see Kibune, Kurama, or Takao would be nice. Going to Mt Hiei would be great too. In Osaka, there is Minoo Park, which has a nice waterfall.
As mentioned, in Arashiyama, there is the Iwatayama Monkey Park . It is a bit of a climb up the hill to get there, but if the weather is good you get a good view over the city, and of course the monkeys are quite fun. Your kids might like the Railway Museum there as well. As you are probably aware, April should have some good cherry blossoms, especially in the first week of the month for most years. There are many great places, but also a more people. Himeji Himeji and are also not far away and have beautiful cherry blossoms as well.

emmagus

OK so we are in Japan for 10 days (part of that is cleaning out my mother in law's home) and 4 nights in Kyoto... right in the middle of cherry blossom season things are booking up and there are not a lot of places available. We have teens and do better with house rentals. We found a house near Enma-do (the courthouse). I cannot tell if that will be incredibly inconvenient or work out ok. It is not right on a train line but with four of us, maybe sometimes cabbing it and of course, the bus, should work. Anyone have any thoughts on that area? Thank you

sanchez1234

Have you tried booking a serviced apartment? There is https://metroresidences.com , they've got serviced apartments all over Japan. Singapore and Hong Kong too, if you're planning to stay across asia.

localbites

April is cherry blossom season so it's a perfect time to visit Kyoto. Arashiyama might be a good place to go if you are looking for something less busy. It is a popular place to go in cherry blossom season.

Close to Fujisawa, Kamakura area is a good place to explore e.g. Gread Budda, Hasedera temple are popular.

Please let us know how your experience was.

Adastra2200

I only see apartments listed in Tokyo.

emmagus

I really am curious about staying Near Enma-do (the courtroom) --because we found a house to rent there and want to make sure the house is not too out of the way.
Also, our check out from this house is 10:00. I cannot remember if we can lock our luggage at the train station.


Thank you Local Bites, my husband grew up in Fujisawa so we have been to Kamakura many times and love the local train that pokes around behind people's backyards.
Sanchez1234: I too only see Tokyo apartments and they are pricey. We usually go through VRBO or AirBnB

kja

Luggage storage is widely available in Japan, although I believe the specific options vary from place to place.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2274.html

CounterClifton

Good one to mark for our planning too.