How best to see Kyoto in 1 day?
Jul 20th, 2007, 11:54 PM
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How best to see Kyoto in 1 day?
We arrive around noon on Day 1 and depart early morning on day 3. So I guess that technically leaves us with maybe 1.5 days.
It is our first time to Japan. What's the best way to see Kyoto in that timeframe?
It is our first time to Japan. What's the best way to see Kyoto in that timeframe?
Jul 21st, 2007, 12:06 AM
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Buy a bus pass and grab a free tourist bus map which is really useful. They have a grid that tells you what bus to take from this temple to that temple and which stop to get off. Since the temples are scattered across the city, it's definitely not worth it to walk. Anyway, check out Nijo castle, Kiyomizudera, Ginkakuji, Kinkakuji, and the Gion District. On day 1, you might want to take the train to Himeji to see the castle.
Jul 21st, 2007, 03:17 AM
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What time of year? It is really hot and humid now and that is going to impact how much running around you can do. In what area are you staying?
Let me offer a different perspective than the one above. On day 2 (full day) I would not run all over Kyoto on the buses to try to get in all the sights. IMO, Kyoto is best when it is discovered, not attacked. I would instead start early in the morning and concentrate on one area, eastern Kyoto, and walk, walk, walk. You can start at Kiyomizudera temple (and get your socks blown off by that one and the view) and walk and meander through the wonderful narrow steets and with many other temples and cool little shops in Higashiyama. Stop and sample the sweets, and stop in a cafe for lunch. There are some temples at the end of Higashiyama that I particularly like, Chion-in and Shoren-in (my very favorite, great bamboo forest in back). Savor them. There are many walking tours of this wonderful area online.
When you get to the end of Higashiyama (past Shoren-in), turn right at the street light (first one you will see on this walk). Walk down by the Westin Miyako hotel on the right side of the street(maybe stop there to rest in the lobby, really nice water feature there). Cross the street in front of the hotel and you can get to the end of the Path of Philosphy (you can ask in the hotel about how to do this, what street, they will tell you). You can walk up the path of philosphy, starting at what is traditionally seen as the "end" of it (Nanzenji temple with its large aquedects). You can walk along the little canal (get ice cream, and there are nice little galleries and antique shops on the side streets to your left) all the way up to the silver pavillion, Ginkakuji. But you might not make it that far, as you will have been walking a lot. Don't worry, catch a cab back to the hotel- cabs are not real expensive in Kyoto like in Tokyo, don't be afraid of them, just don't try to close the door after you geti in, they close automatically.
Depending on what time it is, you might call it a day after that. Rest at the hotel and then go out to Gion for dinner and walking that area a bit.
You could also just walk Higashiyama and not go to the path of philospohy. That way, you could take a cab or bus from the end of Higashiyama to one other place of significance depending on your interest, either Nijo-jo castle(which I have yet to see after 2 long stays in Kyoto) or Kinkakuji (golden pavillion). Personally I would not do that with one day. Kinkakuji is far by bus, it's crowded typically, and it just didn't blow me away like many other temples did, maybe because it is so hyped and I had seen so many pictures of it. I much prefer strolling through the areas and coming upon the temples and other goodies that way. Kinkakuji is sort of set off by itself. But some people really want to see it.
This way you will experience some of the charm and real flavor of Kyoto, not just running from one site to another. If you are there on the 21st or 25th of the month, do not miss the temple/shrine markets at Toji temple (21st) or Kitano shrine(25th).
Find out if there are any temple light-ups (very cool to see) while you are there, or festivals. This might impact your plans.
Day 1, I would drop bags at the hotel and go out to one of the little neighborhoods in Kyoto, like Fushimi (like two stops from Kyoto station on the subway) and walk the red tori gates at the Fushimi Inari shrine. The street leading up to this incredibly cool shrine has a few small shops and restaurants where you can get a light lunch or snack of some sushi or good udon soup. This is a relaxing intro to Kyoto. Go to Gion for dinner that night.
Personally I would not go out of Kyoto to see Himeji on this short of a trip. I'd stay in the Kyoto area.
Let me offer a different perspective than the one above. On day 2 (full day) I would not run all over Kyoto on the buses to try to get in all the sights. IMO, Kyoto is best when it is discovered, not attacked. I would instead start early in the morning and concentrate on one area, eastern Kyoto, and walk, walk, walk. You can start at Kiyomizudera temple (and get your socks blown off by that one and the view) and walk and meander through the wonderful narrow steets and with many other temples and cool little shops in Higashiyama. Stop and sample the sweets, and stop in a cafe for lunch. There are some temples at the end of Higashiyama that I particularly like, Chion-in and Shoren-in (my very favorite, great bamboo forest in back). Savor them. There are many walking tours of this wonderful area online.
When you get to the end of Higashiyama (past Shoren-in), turn right at the street light (first one you will see on this walk). Walk down by the Westin Miyako hotel on the right side of the street(maybe stop there to rest in the lobby, really nice water feature there). Cross the street in front of the hotel and you can get to the end of the Path of Philosphy (you can ask in the hotel about how to do this, what street, they will tell you). You can walk up the path of philosphy, starting at what is traditionally seen as the "end" of it (Nanzenji temple with its large aquedects). You can walk along the little canal (get ice cream, and there are nice little galleries and antique shops on the side streets to your left) all the way up to the silver pavillion, Ginkakuji. But you might not make it that far, as you will have been walking a lot. Don't worry, catch a cab back to the hotel- cabs are not real expensive in Kyoto like in Tokyo, don't be afraid of them, just don't try to close the door after you geti in, they close automatically.
Depending on what time it is, you might call it a day after that. Rest at the hotel and then go out to Gion for dinner and walking that area a bit.
You could also just walk Higashiyama and not go to the path of philospohy. That way, you could take a cab or bus from the end of Higashiyama to one other place of significance depending on your interest, either Nijo-jo castle(which I have yet to see after 2 long stays in Kyoto) or Kinkakuji (golden pavillion). Personally I would not do that with one day. Kinkakuji is far by bus, it's crowded typically, and it just didn't blow me away like many other temples did, maybe because it is so hyped and I had seen so many pictures of it. I much prefer strolling through the areas and coming upon the temples and other goodies that way. Kinkakuji is sort of set off by itself. But some people really want to see it.
This way you will experience some of the charm and real flavor of Kyoto, not just running from one site to another. If you are there on the 21st or 25th of the month, do not miss the temple/shrine markets at Toji temple (21st) or Kitano shrine(25th).
Find out if there are any temple light-ups (very cool to see) while you are there, or festivals. This might impact your plans.
Day 1, I would drop bags at the hotel and go out to one of the little neighborhoods in Kyoto, like Fushimi (like two stops from Kyoto station on the subway) and walk the red tori gates at the Fushimi Inari shrine. The street leading up to this incredibly cool shrine has a few small shops and restaurants where you can get a light lunch or snack of some sushi or good udon soup. This is a relaxing intro to Kyoto. Go to Gion for dinner that night.
Personally I would not go out of Kyoto to see Himeji on this short of a trip. I'd stay in the Kyoto area.
Jul 21st, 2007, 08:44 AM
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thank you both for your insights. Emd, your detailed explanations are extremely helpful.
We'll be traveling in mid-September. As far as hotel, we tried to book the Granvia but it's not available so we're open to suggestions. We'd obviously like to choose one for the best location for the day of sightseeing.
Another fodorite recommended going to Gion for dinner on day one and possibly try to catch a show at Gion Corner. That sounds like something right up our alley.
As for the full day, would we have time to see Himeji castle in the morning, and still have time to the the Path of Philosophy?
My husband read something about the beauty of the castle and a garden called Shinen (?). Are those two worth seeking when we are so limited on time?
Thanks for your help.
We'll be traveling in mid-September. As far as hotel, we tried to book the Granvia but it's not available so we're open to suggestions. We'd obviously like to choose one for the best location for the day of sightseeing.
Another fodorite recommended going to Gion for dinner on day one and possibly try to catch a show at Gion Corner. That sounds like something right up our alley.
As for the full day, would we have time to see Himeji castle in the morning, and still have time to the the Path of Philosophy?
My husband read something about the beauty of the castle and a garden called Shinen (?). Are those two worth seeking when we are so limited on time?
Thanks for your help.
Jul 22nd, 2007, 12:21 AM
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junkgalore,
Couple suggestions -- if you do decide to go to Gion Corner and if you happen to be taking a camcorder on your trip, be sure to take it to Gion Corner with you. I didn't think they would allow videotaping of the performance, so I didn't take my camcorder and I was really disappointed when I found out that videotaping is allowed. Also, double-check the performance times. We went one night based on information I had found either on the internet or in a travel book, only to find out that the times had changed almost a year beforehand and we missed the last show that night. Luckily we were able to go another night.
Have a great time. We're ready to go back again!
Couple suggestions -- if you do decide to go to Gion Corner and if you happen to be taking a camcorder on your trip, be sure to take it to Gion Corner with you. I didn't think they would allow videotaping of the performance, so I didn't take my camcorder and I was really disappointed when I found out that videotaping is allowed. Also, double-check the performance times. We went one night based on information I had found either on the internet or in a travel book, only to find out that the times had changed almost a year beforehand and we missed the last show that night. Luckily we were able to go another night.
Have a great time. We're ready to go back again!
Jul 22nd, 2007, 12:48 AM
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Go on a tour with Johnnie Hillwalker. Best tour in our 11 weeks of travelling last summer.
Everyone just meets at the train station and Johnnie leads the group through Kyoto, explaining about culture, religion, crafts, etc. Very informal and he only leads tours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/
Everyone just meets at the train station and Johnnie leads the group through Kyoto, explaining about culture, religion, crafts, etc. Very informal and he only leads tours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/
Jul 22nd, 2007, 12:53 AM
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Here is an excerpt of my trip report (Travelgirl's Trip of a Lifetime - day 9):
At 10:00 am, we go outside to meet up with Johnnie Hillwalker (also known as Hajime Hirooka). He leads a walking tour of Kyoto. I heard about him on Fodor’s and we also picked up a brochure at WAK Japan. The tour is 5+ hours long and costs 2000 yen for the adults, 1000 yen for DS1 (13 years old) and is free for DS2 (11 years old).
I highly recommend this tour. It is given Mon, Wed and Fri, March through November. No reservation is required. The website is: http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/
Johnny takes us to the Higashi-Honganji Temple, a large Buddhist center. We sit on tatami mats while he tells us about Buddhism. As we leave, a group of people dressed in black enter for a funeral. We move on to the Sho-Seien Garden, where he tells us a bit of history. We see a couple of Shinto shrines along the way and learn about the Shinto religion. We pass a Geisha area, and actually see a Geisha.
We also stop and look into several peoples’ home workshops: prayer beads, tatami mats, pottery, etc. We make a stop at a fan shop and see the workers in the back room painstakingly assembling the fans. Some people on the tour purchase fans, but there is absolutely no pressure to buy. Along the way, we have a brief stop at a teahouse for tea and a pastry. We taste a piece of vegetarian inari sushi (it’s good). I am very surprised when DS2 has a second piece of inari sushi. We do not stop for lunch. The tour ends at 3:30 pm. Amazingly, all 30 or so people continue for the entire tour – no one drops out.
The tour is very enjoyable. We all think Johnnie is cute. He has picked places to speak to us where he is easily visible and easily heard, even with 30 people along. The walking pace is slow and there are often places to sit and rest at the various stops. He has an engaging and humorous way of telling stories.
He tells us that the Buddha to which the Japanese people pray is the one who will take the dead to paradise. Therefore, Buddhism in Japan is focused on death. Shinto-ism is the religion for the living. That is why many Japanese are both Buddhist and Shinto.
He explains that many of the large religious places that tourists visit are maintained by the Japanese government for tourism. No people actually belong to the large tourist sites. The places he is taking us are actively supported by the people who belong to that religion. He takes us to his Shinto shrine. We also go to a cemetery, which is very interesting, but full of mosquitoes. DS2 and I get at least a dozen bites on the ankles.
The handicraft stops were interesting. People were very diligently working on very precise crafts, often while sitting on the floor all day. Johnnie said that most of the young people do not want to continue this lifestyle and are moving away from Kyoto.
Johnnie gave us a detailed map, so we could continue the walk, going into what he said were even more interesting areas of Kyoto.
At 10:00 am, we go outside to meet up with Johnnie Hillwalker (also known as Hajime Hirooka). He leads a walking tour of Kyoto. I heard about him on Fodor’s and we also picked up a brochure at WAK Japan. The tour is 5+ hours long and costs 2000 yen for the adults, 1000 yen for DS1 (13 years old) and is free for DS2 (11 years old).
I highly recommend this tour. It is given Mon, Wed and Fri, March through November. No reservation is required. The website is: http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/h-s-love/
Johnny takes us to the Higashi-Honganji Temple, a large Buddhist center. We sit on tatami mats while he tells us about Buddhism. As we leave, a group of people dressed in black enter for a funeral. We move on to the Sho-Seien Garden, where he tells us a bit of history. We see a couple of Shinto shrines along the way and learn about the Shinto religion. We pass a Geisha area, and actually see a Geisha.
We also stop and look into several peoples’ home workshops: prayer beads, tatami mats, pottery, etc. We make a stop at a fan shop and see the workers in the back room painstakingly assembling the fans. Some people on the tour purchase fans, but there is absolutely no pressure to buy. Along the way, we have a brief stop at a teahouse for tea and a pastry. We taste a piece of vegetarian inari sushi (it’s good). I am very surprised when DS2 has a second piece of inari sushi. We do not stop for lunch. The tour ends at 3:30 pm. Amazingly, all 30 or so people continue for the entire tour – no one drops out.
The tour is very enjoyable. We all think Johnnie is cute. He has picked places to speak to us where he is easily visible and easily heard, even with 30 people along. The walking pace is slow and there are often places to sit and rest at the various stops. He has an engaging and humorous way of telling stories.
He tells us that the Buddha to which the Japanese people pray is the one who will take the dead to paradise. Therefore, Buddhism in Japan is focused on death. Shinto-ism is the religion for the living. That is why many Japanese are both Buddhist and Shinto.
He explains that many of the large religious places that tourists visit are maintained by the Japanese government for tourism. No people actually belong to the large tourist sites. The places he is taking us are actively supported by the people who belong to that religion. He takes us to his Shinto shrine. We also go to a cemetery, which is very interesting, but full of mosquitoes. DS2 and I get at least a dozen bites on the ankles.
The handicraft stops were interesting. People were very diligently working on very precise crafts, often while sitting on the floor all day. Johnnie said that most of the young people do not want to continue this lifestyle and are moving away from Kyoto.
Johnnie gave us a detailed map, so we could continue the walk, going into what he said were even more interesting areas of Kyoto.
Jul 22nd, 2007, 02:07 AM
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Or take a tour with Sunrise. I booked one of their tours when I was in Kyoto last year via www.viator.com Not sure if there are cheaper alternatives.
http://www.viator.com/destProdSearch...;categoryName=
http://www.viator.com/destProdSearch...;categoryName=
Jul 22nd, 2007, 09:48 AM
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jlaughs, thanks for the tip re: camcorders. We are not video people but my husband's a shutterbug (ironically, he's a professional videographer-- go figure!)
travelgirl, yay!!! Our one full day in Kyoto happens to be a Monday, so it looks like we'll be able to do the Johnny Hillwalker tour. Did it really take 5 hours? Would we be able to fit another sight in that day?
My mistake, my husband actually wants to see Nijo castle, not Himeji. Is this still doable? Or worth it? We originally thought of reserving the Imperial Palace tour but it doesn't see to get great reviews. Perhaps it's one of those things to do if we had an abudunce of days in Kyoto.
Cillia, thanks for the link. I think since we have such a short period, doing it on our own seems like the best option for us.
travelgirl, yay!!! Our one full day in Kyoto happens to be a Monday, so it looks like we'll be able to do the Johnny Hillwalker tour. Did it really take 5 hours? Would we be able to fit another sight in that day?
My mistake, my husband actually wants to see Nijo castle, not Himeji. Is this still doable? Or worth it? We originally thought of reserving the Imperial Palace tour but it doesn't see to get great reviews. Perhaps it's one of those things to do if we had an abudunce of days in Kyoto.
Cillia, thanks for the link. I think since we have such a short period, doing it on our own seems like the best option for us.
Jul 28th, 2007, 03:17 PM
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The walking tour with Johnnie Hillwalker definitely took 5+ hours. We met at about 10, set out maybe 15 minutes later, and finished at 3:30 pm.
You could easily leave the tour group earlier, if have to. No one left early on our tour, but I can't see that it would be a problem.
After the tour, I was exhausted and took a taxi back to our hotel for a rest. My husband took the map Johnnie gave us and went walking for another couple of hours. So, I guess what you do afterwards depends on your energy level!
Have fun. I hope you love Kyoto!
You could easily leave the tour group earlier, if have to. No one left early on our tour, but I can't see that it would be a problem.
After the tour, I was exhausted and took a taxi back to our hotel for a rest. My husband took the map Johnnie gave us and went walking for another couple of hours. So, I guess what you do afterwards depends on your energy level!
Have fun. I hope you love Kyoto!
Jul 29th, 2007, 07:49 AM
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I'm not travelgirl, but I have also taken the J. Hillwalker tour which I greatly enjoyed. However, I was in Kyoto for a week. If I only had one day I would not spend five hours on his tour as there is so much more that you could see in that time frame.....
Jul 29th, 2007, 06:01 PM
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That's a hard question. The tour was a favorite of ours. One possiblity is that you could join for 2 hours and then head off on your own, if you wanted to.
We didn't see many sights of Kyoto on our own. We were there for a few days. We spent the one morning/afternoon with Johnnie Hillwalker. We spent part of a couple of days wandering around the huge train station and Isetan department store (we stayed at the Hotel Granvia).
We spent a very long day taking the train to Hiroshima.
We spent another whole day doing activities with WAK (the Women's Cultural Center) - in the morning we went to the center for a calligraphy lesson and in the evening the guide picked us up at our hotel and took us to a lady's apartment where we had a cooking lesson and prepared and ate an entire dinner. In between these events, we walked around Kyoto a bit, just wandering.
So, our visit to Kyoto was probably not the most usual one of touring the main sights. We really wanted to get a 'feel' for the Japanese culture.
I guess it depends what you really like to do... I'm not sure how much you could see on your own in one day and whether that would be more interesting to you than hearing about Japanese life.
Kyoto is such an interesting place. I think you will enjoy it, no matter what you decide to do.
May I ask - what else are you doing/seeing on your trip? We were on an 11 week trip with just 2 days in Tokyo and a few days in Kyoto (then on to China, Greece, London, Amsterdan, Spain, Stockholm, Italy, Prague), so our perspective was probably different than if we were taking a different type of trip.
Have fun!
We didn't see many sights of Kyoto on our own. We were there for a few days. We spent the one morning/afternoon with Johnnie Hillwalker. We spent part of a couple of days wandering around the huge train station and Isetan department store (we stayed at the Hotel Granvia).
We spent a very long day taking the train to Hiroshima.
We spent another whole day doing activities with WAK (the Women's Cultural Center) - in the morning we went to the center for a calligraphy lesson and in the evening the guide picked us up at our hotel and took us to a lady's apartment where we had a cooking lesson and prepared and ate an entire dinner. In between these events, we walked around Kyoto a bit, just wandering.
So, our visit to Kyoto was probably not the most usual one of touring the main sights. We really wanted to get a 'feel' for the Japanese culture.
I guess it depends what you really like to do... I'm not sure how much you could see on your own in one day and whether that would be more interesting to you than hearing about Japanese life.
Kyoto is such an interesting place. I think you will enjoy it, no matter what you decide to do.
May I ask - what else are you doing/seeing on your trip? We were on an 11 week trip with just 2 days in Tokyo and a few days in Kyoto (then on to China, Greece, London, Amsterdan, Spain, Stockholm, Italy, Prague), so our perspective was probably different than if we were taking a different type of trip.
Have fun!
